From http://www.abnnewswire.net/press/en/61995/NewSat_Limited_(ASX:NWT)_Record_Growth_Continues.html

Melbourne, Dec 23, 2009 (ABN Newswire) - NewSat Limited ( ASX:NWT) ( PINK:NWTLY) Australia's largest independent satellite communications company is in the process of completing another quarter of record growth. This ensures that this half year is NewSats best ever.

With over 300 new business contracts signed, worth in excess of A$8 million, NewSat has experienced a 20% growth compared to the previous 6 months to June 2009.

NewSats previous reported 12 months saw revenue up 46%, gross profit up 76%, EBITDA up by A$5.9 million, and operating cash flow up 99%. NewSats annualised annuity contracted revenue increased to over A$20 million in this period with total new contract value up to 277% - an increase of A$12.7 million.

The coming six months are very promising, and at its AGM in December NewSat reiterated it had generated positive EBITDA in the first quarter of FY10, and is continuing into profitability thereafter. With no debt to service, and month on month increased annuity revenue, NewSat Directors are confident, and have gone on record at the AGM to predict that NewSat will in the future join the ranks of the ASX 200 if its pace of growth and profitability matches expectations.

Whilst this will require a quadrupling of its market capitalisation, Directors believe the NewSat pipeline is strong and secure enough to justify such optimism.

NewSat Vice President of Sales, Andrew Matlock noted "our growth in sales is attributed to a robust pipeline that now stands 50% stronger than this time last year".
Recently NewSat has secured contracts with several "blue-chip" corporates. These contracts are on some of Australia's largest resource projects and off shore oil platforms. Because NewSat operates in a market sensitive and security conscious environment, it is not yet able to announce the names of the customers. But it will when protocols permit.

NewSats strategy to spawn Jabiru and launch two satellites is well advanced. An expert team has been assembled to embrace NewSat and its existing customers future needs, as well as requirements for National Broadband Network. Even in the event NewSat is not successful in its NBN push, shareholders will benefit through the launch of at least one geo-stationary satellite. With the expectation of project completion by June 30th 2010, launch during the last quarter of 2012 is still a reality. With revenues in excess of 1 billion on Jabiru-1, shareholders have much reason to be enthused and excited.

The process for recruitment of new Directors is well underway and there is no shortage of outstanding candidates. NewSats new and revitalised Board will be in place before the end of the current financial year.

Attendees at NewSats AGM were advised that current CEO, Adrian Ballintine would continue in his current role beyond June 30th, 2010 in order to enable NewSat to quickly reach its stated goals. The Board and its advisors Lazard were unanimously of this opinion.

The business of satellite, space and teleport operation has proved to be recession proof and NewSat like many of its international contemporaries is starting to deliver strongly on all fronts. Directors acknowledge that the failed EWC Payments Pty Ltd takeover bid was a distraction to our shareholders and the market and derailed the strong progress and share price growth evident several months ago. On December 21st the offer formally expired requiring nothing further to be said.

NewSat Limited (ASX:NWT) provides a full range of managed communication services, TT & C and carrier monitoring from its teleports in Perth and Adelaide to Australia/Oceania, Asia, the Middle East and Africa.

Services are available on a wide range of satellites accessible from the Perth and Adelaide facilities. Antenna sizes ranging from 3.7 to 13m are available in addition to all the necessary RF and conversion equipment. Customers may co-locate equipment in these facilities, or NewSat can provide an end-to-end service.

From http://www.streetcorner.com.au/news/showPost.cfm?bid=12957&mycomm=WC

Following the Federal Government's recent decision to allocate digital spectrum and funding for the transition of Community Television to digital, TVS (Television Sydney) today announced that Broadcast Australia has been appointed as its digital transmission services provider.

TVS Chief Executive, Laurie Patton, said that the move to digital broadcasting was the channel's most significant initiative since its launch in February 2006. "With more than fifty percent of Sydney homes now digital the ability to simulcast in both digital and analogue has become critical," Mr Patton said. "Going digital means that TVS will instantly become available to a wider audience and with more viewers the station will be able to generate much needed additional sponsorship revenue".

Under the deal signed today Broadcast Australia plans to have TVS simulcasting by March 2010. Broadcast Australia’s Managing Director, Graeme Barclay, said, “Broadcast Australia has had a long and positive relationship with TVS and we look forward to helping them with their transition to digital TV”.

He continued, “We are very excited about providing TVS with a fully managed digital transmission service and pleased that we will be part of history, enabling the first Australian Community TV channel to operate on the digital TV platform”.

In addition to supplying the digital transmission facility Broadcast Australia will provide TVS with the technical capability of joining Freeview when its proprietary Electronic Program Guide is launched next year. Freeview has already agreed to carry the community channels in addition to the networks’ new free-to-air digital channels as they come on stream. Placement on the Freeview EPG will ensure a greater profile for TVS and improved exposure for its programs.

Gov’t loses P1.8B in cable piracy yearly

From http://www.malaya.com.ph/12232009/busi8.html

Government is losing P1.8 billion ($39 million) in taxes yearly due to rampant cable piracy, according to the latest report of the Cable and Satellite Broadcasting Association of Asia’s (CASBAA).

Although legitimate cable users have surpassed the number of illegitimate cable users this year due to investment in digital technology by leading cable provider Sky Cable Inc., the government’s lack of anti-piracy law remains a key obstacle in further bringing down cable piracy in the country , CASBAA said .

In 2009, the cable association report said that cable piracy cost was reduced to $83 million from more than $90 million last year due to investment in digital technology of leading cable provider Sky Cable Inc.,

With the investment of the Lopez cable firm in digital technology, legitimate cable users in the Philippines is now stood at 1.16 million it higher than the 913,400 illegitimate users were previously it has equal figures of 1.5 million .

"There is some reduction in value of piracy this year - the main factor being investment in digital technology by leading cable provider Skycable and good growth in the legitimate market," CASBAA added.

Sky Cable Inc. has allocated P700 million capital expenditures this year which has been used for the digital network infrastructure roll out to address cable piracy.

About P200 million to P300 million will go to the digital boxes roll out in Metro Manila.

Carlo Katigbak, SkyCable chief operating officer, earlier said they will roll out 60,000 to 70,000 digital boxes in Metro Manila. A box is worth $50 and the headends is worth $2 million. Last year, the company installed 90,000 digital boxes.

At present, Sky cable has 500,000 subscribers. Of the total, 200,000 are using the digibox. Katigbak said they are targeting 80 percent of subscribers to use digiboxes in the next two years.

The digibox’s major feature is filtering. It also enriches the cable viewing experience by offering digital quality signal. The features include electronic program guides that let the viewers know what they are watching and what is coming up for the rest of the week, parental locks for non-child friendly programming and interactive video games.

The NTC has issued 1,500 licenses to cable operators. Of that total, only 400 has been operating due to merger and acquisition and some had closed their business. At present, there are three cable operators in Metro Manila. These are Sky Cable, Destiny Cable and Global Destiny.

CTi Asia Debut On Astro

From http://www.asiamediajournal.com/pressrelease.php?id=1466

Kuala Lumpur – In line with the efforts to continuously strengthen its content proposition, Astro constantly reviews its channel line up to remain relevant to its customers. With effect from 1 January, 2010, 06:00 hours, Astro’s Emperor and Gold Pack customers will be feted to a new channel, CTi Asia (Channel 316)

As a result of the new CTi Asia channel launch, ETTV Asia (Channel 316) will cease transmission on 31 December, 2009, at 23:59 hours.

CTi Asia, a quality 24-hour Chinese infotainment channel, focuses on comprehensive and up-to-date live news daily, with in-depth analyses on current affairs and lifestyle issues across the region. The channel also features dynamic, original programming in a variety of genres, including the Celebrity Mimics Show II: The Largest Political Party, an award-winning talk show and Mr Con & Ms Csi, a fun-filled variety show featuring the hottest celebrities. Also in the line-up are drama series, variety, music, travelogues, entertainment, information programmes and much more.

Catch Celebrity Mimics Show II: The Largest Political Party, a popular Chinese political satire every weekday at 9pm, as the celebrities mimic today’s most prominent personalities and reenact talked-about events in the region. In Mr Con & Ms Csi, spunky comedian Hsu His-Ti and her award-winning partner Tsai Kang-Yung will tickle you pink with their side-splitting antics, joined by guest celebrities, every weekday at 10pm.

Take a look at the new China, which has stepped out of her conventional image and has emerged as a powerful economic rival to America, with host Rebecca in Rebecca’s View – New China, every Saturday and Sunday at 8pm. Also, Sisy Chen, the independent legislator, will conduct regional interviews and present you the most analytical news on China through Sisy’s World News, a new current affairs programme that airs on the weekends at 10pm.

Emperor and Gold Pack customers are advised to set their decoders on standby on 31 December 2009 to download CTi Asia content.

Korea's English-only channel Arirang TV will have a facelift starting next year.

The network announced that it is increasing the number of news programs and also developing new shows to promote the nation's image around the world.

``We have decided to specialize our channel (depending on region) ― the channel aired in Korea through cable, satellite and Internet Protocol TV (IPTV) will carry various programs that highlight multicultural families; while the channel that is aired overseas will feature programs that focus on introducing and featuring Korea,'' said Lee Sung-wan, the vice president of Arirang TV, during a press conference at the Press Center, central Seoul, Tuesday morning.

Various networks around the world have started to realize the need for English channels, and although Arirang TV has been in the forefront with 13 years of experience, it has confronted a competitive race among top networks like CCTV from China, NHK from Japan and even Al Jazeera from Qatar.

The network will add three more news programs every day, plus offer interesting and creative shows to attract viewers from around the world.

Some of the new shows are ``G-Korea,'' ``Tasty Trail'' and ``Korea Confidential.''

``G-Korea'' will be hosted by Seoul National University professor Kim Sung-il and offer the present and future of green growth, from local policies, products and people who are striving to make Korea, and the world, a better place. Kim is also the councilor of the International Union for Conservation of Nature. The show will air every Saturday at 7: 30 p.m.

``Tasty Trail'' and ``Korea Confidential'' will focus on Korean food, hosted by food columnist Benjamin Joinau and kitchen director at the COEX InterContinental Seoul Paul Schenk, respectively. From cooking to eating, the two hosts will bring the distinctive feature of Korean food up close and personal. ``Tasty Trail'' will air every Thursday at 9 p.m. and ``Korea Confidential'' every Friday at 9 p.m.

Aside from new programs, Arirang TV has also arranged a program exchange project with other countries, including Vietnam, China, the Philippines, Russia, Hungary, India and even Brazil.

``SWAP World'' will air local shows from each of these countries with English and Korean subtitles Monday through Friday at 8:30 p.m.

In addition, Arirang TV will also air a Vietnamese drama ``Chay An'' every Saturday and Sunday at 10 a.m. This is the first time for a local network to air the complete series of a Vietnamese drama with English and Korean subtitles.

The new shows will start airing Jan. 4

Archdiocese of Karachi to launch satellite TV channel

From http://www.indiancatholic.in/news/storydetails.php/14166-1-1-Archdiocese-of-Karachi-to-launch-satellite-TV-channel

KARACHI: Archdiocese of Karachi has launched its first television network. Over the years, the Archdiocese has been quick to adopt new technologies in its efforts to communicate with the peoples. An Urdu weekly Agahi – first in the country - was launched three ago and a little later its One-line Edition was made available. Less than a year ago the Archdiocese launched first Catholic Web TV. And now it has embraced digital and satellite technology. The Satellite based TV Channel is Christianised as ‘Good News’. It is owned, managed and run by the Catholic Church. The Archdiocese of Karachi has becomes first in the country in this important field and has also registered herself among those few Asian countries which has such a channel.

The visionary behind this venture is Father Arthur Charles, a priest of the Archdiocese who has a doctorate in Dogmatic Theology. Apart from lecturing at National Catholic Institute of theology, he holds a key canonical post of Vicar General in the Archdiocese. He is Editor-in-Chief of Agahi and the director of the Catechetical Centre Karachi. He is now the president and the CEO of Good News TV.

The broadcast will be aired nationally, as well as in other parts of Asia, Africa, Oceania and Europe seven days a week, 24 hours a day and will feature a modern format with an open dialogue focused on the message of Jesus Christ in the 21st Century, especially as it is lived in today’s world. Holy Mass, Recitation of the Rosary, Lives the Saints, Scripture Readings, contemporary talk, headline stories of current events, politics, music, entertainment, arts and sports have their slots. The Channel will also include human interest stories and inspirational themes, shows offering counselling and guidance, educational programmes and more.

“Good News TV will place a special emphasis on values and will show programmes which cannot be seen on other TV channels,” said Fr. Charles. Programme hosts and guests will include members of the clergy and distinguished laity, members of civil society and reputed media personalities. A team of anchor people will host the programmes, which has segments devoted to research-and-knowledge-based news and what Father Charles calls ‘Good News.’

Archbishop Evarist Pinto has hailed the launch of Good News TV as “a massive step forward for a different way of broadcasting in the country.” In a speech at the inauguration of the Office-cum-Production House of Good News TV, he called on the media to promote family values, human dignity and the common good. “No doubt mass media has contributed a great deal for the benefit of the society; however, it has also transmitted in various forms destructive elements in our families and society.”

The Channel will commence its test transmission on the Eve of Christmas.
Downlink Frequency

From http://world.brunei.fm/2009/12/23/bolivia-in-advanced-talks-with-china-on-first-satellite-into-orbit/

LA PAZ, Dec 23 (NNN-PRENSA LATINA) The Bolivian Government said talks with China for the construction and placing into orbit of the first telecommunication satellite “Tupac Katari” are in an advance stage and the project is expected to materilise within three years.

The talks were being held with the Chinese Great Wall Industrial Corporation.

According to Deputy Telecommunication Minister Roy Mendez, positive results were achieved in a visit of a Bolivian government commission to China earlier this month.

“We may be able to sign the contract making the satellite construction viable on March 31, according to schedule,” said Mendez.

Estimated cost of the project is US$300 million, which will be provided to Bolivia as credit by a Chinese bank, he added.

In Jan President Evo Morales announced the possibility to install a satellite with advantages in the access to communication as a universal right. — NNN-PRENSA LATINA

MSM to launch a sports channel

From http://www.financialexpress.com/news/MSM-to-launch-a-sports-channel/557911/

Mumbai: There’s a new player warming up on the sidelines of television’s already crowded scrum of sports channels. Broadcast network Multi Screen Media (MSM) will launch a new sports channel to cash in on the popularity of its exclusively-owned, million-dollar property, the Indian Premier League, or IPL. MSM runs a diversified bouquet of channels, including Sony Entertainment Television, SAB TV, Set Max and Channel 8.

“We should float a new sports channel in the next six to nine months,” confirmed MSM COO NP Singh. He said the company is acquiring sports events in soccer, basketball and wrestling.

“We already have IPL and once we have enough content, we will launch our sports channel,” he said.

Besides IPL, the network has broadcast rights to the New Zealand cricket series and the Football Association Challenge Cup, popularly known as the FA Cup. MSM bagged IPL broadcast rights for ten years for $1.2 billion. “It was a pretty steeply priced acquisition. They will have to look for options to make good this investment. A sports channel, therefore, does make sense,” said a Mumbai-based analyst working with a management consultancy.

Industry experts say given its immense popularity among viewers and, consequently, advertisers, IPL alone is enough to sustain a dedicated sports channel. Neo Sports, which owned exclusive broadcast rights to matches organised by Board for Control of Cricket in India (BCCI) had launched Neo Cricket mainly on the strength of that acquisition.

Sports channels gross Rs 1,500-1,600 crore in advertising annually, even though their share in the overall television viewership pie has shrunk in the past few years. According to Mumbai-based audience measurement agency TAM Media Research, sports channels account for 2.7% of overall viewership. The genre had peaked in 2004, when the share was 4.8%.

MSM has always had an interest in sporting events. It bagged exclusive cable & satellite television rights for ICC tournaments from 2003 to 2007. Set Max, its films & events channel, has beamed over 300 days of international cricket including the Cricket World Cup, ICC championship, and under-19 World Cup since 2003.

Media planners are also positive about MSM’s plan to venture into the sports genre. Shashi Sinha, CEO of media buying agency Lodestar Universal, said: “The only property that has taken off well in India is cricket, but there is potential for many other sporting events. Therefore, to that extent, Sony has an advantage.”

22/12/09

Live satellite chat, (last one for the year) 9p.m NZ and 8.30pm Syd time onwards

The PALAPA-D/LM-3B flight anomaly investigation was concluded in early November 2009.

China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology (CALT), the launch vehicle manufacturer, and Academy of Aerospace Propulsion Technology (AAPT), the third stage engines manufacturer, formed the Investigation Committee and conducted the analysis and study on the malfunction phenomenon which occurred during the LM-3B/PALAPA-D flight on August 31, 2009, when the thrust of one of the third stage engines was lower and the satellite was sent into an orbit which is lower than the pre-determined super-geostationary transfer orbit. For more than two months, the malfunction investigation covered the flight data interpretation and analysis, possible malfunction causes and mechanism study, malfunction modes establishment, corresponding ground tests and verifications as well as the computer simulations. And the malfunction phenomena were repeated during the ground tests. The investigation conclusion made by the Investigation Committee was reviewed and passed by the Oversight Committee of China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC).

The investigation result shows that the cause for the abnormal decrease of the third stage Engine I is the local leakage of the gas generator resulted from the local heat ray and flux, which was induced by the foreign objects blocking the liquid hydrogen injectors.

In accordance with the malfunction cause, corresponding corrective actions were taken and the ground testing verification was passed. The corresponding corrective actions will be flight-proven in the next flight of a LM-3A series.

Dialog TV connects with Lanka Hospitals

From http://www.dailymirror.lk/DM_BLOG/Sections/frmNewsDetailView.aspx?ARTID=71328

The country's premier direct-to-home satellite entertainment service provider, Dialog TV, further strengthened its presence and partnership with Sri Lanka's healthcare sector, when it inked a partnership with Lanka Hospitals, a leader in the health services sector.

Under this agreement, Dialog TV commissioned satellite television services at The Lanka Hospitals Corporation PLC., formally known as Apollo Hospitals Colombo. The company has provided connectivity to 134 locations at the hospital via its existing master antenna television network, and installed its transmission equipment at a special control room within the hospital premise; from where programming will be broadcast and monitored.

"We are delighted to extend our satellite infotainment services to Lanka Hospitals one of most the reputed healthcare institutions in the country. This partnership enables us to embark on a shared mission of enriching lives through state-of-the-art technology and service offerings which are second to none in our respective industries," remarked Nushad Perera, Chief Executive Officer of Dialog TV.

Commenting on the partnership, Mr. Lakith Peiris, Chief Executive Officer of Lanka Hospitals said: "We constantly strive to deliver an unparalleled service to our customers. This is the reason why we have invested in world-class medical facilities with a view to make Lanka Hospitals recognised as one of the best hospitals in the South Asian region. Accordingly, Dialog TV was the preferred choice considering its channel offering, affordability and above all exceptional service delivery. We are glad to partner with Dialog TV, and are confident that it will enable us to extend the best in infotainment to the thousands of visitors who patronize our hospital."

Dialog TV will offer a wide array of television programming to the hospital, encompassing the best in local and international television content. These include, Star Sports, Ten Sports, HBO, MTV, Animal Planet, Star Vijay, Boomerang, Star Plus, Star Movies, God TV, Islam Channel, CNN, Kalaigner TV, Channel C, Star World and seven local channels.

Sri Lanka comsat project gets Malaysian interest: official

From http://www.lankabusinessonline.com/fullstory.php?nid=268005751

Dec 22, 2009 (LBO) - Two Malaysian telecom firms have expressed interest in taking part in a communications satellite project promoted by Sri Lanka's telecom regulatory commission, a top official said.

Sri Lanka wants to launch a geo-stationary satellite in the next three years, at an estimated cost of some 150 million US dollars and has already signed up with Surrey Satellite Technologies Limited (SSTL) of UK to start capacity building.

Among those being wooed by Sri Lanka is Malaysia's UT group which recently bought into Sri Lanka Telecom, the island's largest fixed access telco.

"The new investor to Sri Lanka Telecom has a stake in Malaysia's satellite program called MEASAT (Malaysian East Asia Satellite) and they have already shown interest," telecom regulator Priyantha Kariyapperuma said.

"They will come and invest.

"Even Axiata - also a Malaysian group of companies formerly called Telecom Malaysia - they have also shown some interest."

Axiata owns Sri Lanka's Dialog Telekom, the island's largest cellco.

Nicholas Plant from Surrey Satellite Technologies said under a deal signed in December Sri Lanka will get support to build capacity and also set up and operate a satellite earth station.

Sri Lanka will get access to UKGMC-2 a satellite on polar orbit that has disaster monitoring capabilities.

Kariyapperuma says part of the funds can be found by pre-selling capacity as there is demand for satellite communications in fast growing South Asia.

"Those companies will take this as a business case," Kariyapperuma said.

Kariyapperuma told reporters last week that Sri Lanka which has good relations with both India and Pakistan had a better case for getting business from both countries.

The Ellipse 1000 encoder for fixed contribution allows KT to simulcast the same content to both satellite and terrestrial distribution paths, in variable bit-rate (VBR) for satellite distribution and constant bit-rate (CBR) for terrestrial distribution. The Ellipse 1000 also provides KT with full encryption capabilities to secure content for both distribution paths. Additionally, the Ellipse 1000’s advanced encoding technology and bandwidth efficiency gives KT the option to add more channels in the future.

From http://www.mnilive.com/2009/12/bbc-accuses-iran-of-jamming-tv-signals/

BBC Persian television is continuing to broadcast into Iran despite attempts to jam the station’s signal.

The persistent interference began soon after BBC Persian began extended coverage of the death of leading reformist cleric Grand Ayatollah Hoseyn Ali Montazeri.

This includes the first airing of an exclusive interview with the grand ayatollah which was filmed before his death. The senior cleric, who had not been seen on Iranian television screens for 20 years, was one of Shia Islam’s most respected figures and a leading critic of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

The jamming began on Sunday 20 December and affected the Hotbird 6 satellite which carries the BBC’s international television and radio services in various languages as well as services from other broadcasters.

BBC Persian television is also carried on other satellite networks including Telstar and Eutelsat W2M.

The BBC is looking at ways to increase the options for its Farsi-speaking audiences in Iran, Afghanistan and Tajikistan, which may include broadcasting on other satellites.

In June this year, BBC Persian television suffered similar deliberate attempts to interfere with its signal when airing extended coverage of the Iranian elections. At that time, the satellite operator traced the interference and confirmed it was coming from inside Iran.

BBC World Service Director, Peter Horrocks, said: “The fact that someone would go to these lengths to jam BBC Persian television’s signal is indicative of the impact we make in Iran. The Iranian people want to know the truth about what is happening in their country, and they know they will get impartial and independent news from the BBC. We’ll do everything we can to give them that news.”

Last mile upgradation will protect turf of cable operators

From http://www.indiantelevision.com/headlines/y2k9/dec/dec224.php

NEW DELHI: Local cable operators need not fear the entry of DTH, IPTV or Headend-In-The-Sky (HITS) if there is ‘necessary last mile upgradation,’ industry experts said.

The speakers at the one-day SATCAB Symposium, organised by the All India Dish Antennae Aavishkaar Sangh, felt that HITS was, in fact, the cheapest way of digitisation and should, thus, be welcomed. But it was necessary for the local cable operators and MSOs to improve coordination among them.

The speakers also wanted the government to intervene to help the cable operators and ensure that they were given a fair deal. It was pointed out that though the Chandigarh High Court had stayed the attempt by the Haryana Government's proposal on licensing only one cable operator per city, it was necessary for the Centre to intervene in the case since the Cable Television Networks (Regulation) Act 1995 was a central legislation.

Sangh founder and president A K Rastogi regretted that no government had so far succeeded in bringing forward the Broadcast Services Regulation Bill in Parliament, though it was drafted several years earlier. He said that the FDI of 74 per cent in HITS may not be good for the country as it could go into foreign control.

Rastogi suggested that cable operators should have a united committee to interact with the government on all policy issues.

Colonel V C Khare, who has been involved with the cable industry for several years, said that most cable operators unfortunately did not bother to understand their industry and improve the last mile systems by making it two-way. This was the reason for their fear of new technologies.

Khare regretted that though the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) had drafted a restructuring of the cable sector and put a questionnaire on its website for eliciting the opinions of cable operators, not even 60 of the 60,000 cable operators in the country had bothered to respond. The operators, therefore, will have no reason to complain if the government passes any law in the absence of their responses.

Khare said that the empowered authorities at present did not have any penal powers under the Cable TV Network Rules 1994, and Trai’s recommendations in this regard were under consideration of the government.

Subhash Grover of Siti Satellite said HITS should be accepted by cable operators as it would protect them from IPTV and DTH since it wouldl lead to digitisation.

Amit Kharbhanda of MyBox said digitisation was inevitable and it would be good if the cable operators accepted this as early as possible. He also felt that local set top boxes had a greater chance of success in the market than imported ones.

21/12/09

..

From my Email & ICQ

From Zapara (W.A, Australia)

2.7M dish

Update

NSS5 - NSS 12 57Deg E

The only transponders I can now load on NNS5/12 are
3809 L 25000 ¾
3925 L 25000 ¾

All other Transponders previously viewable in WA are no longer there. I
assume they have now been switched over to NSS12. NE Zone beam.

From http://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/quality-content-the-key-to-future-media-success/story-e6frg8zx-1225812234724

PREDICTING what the media landscape will look like in one year -- let alone 10 -- is a difficult exercise. "History is overflowing with examples of people, companies and governments getting it wrong," says Foxtel's Kim Williams.

However, media executives are unanimous that it is the calibre of a television channel, magazine, radio station or newspaper's content that will ensure its survival in the digital world following the introduction of a new information superhighway in the form of the the government's National Broadband Network and faster 4G mobile.

"If you step back for a second, the one thing that has not changed and won't change is that the only thing you have to leverage is quality content," says PBL Media's Ian Law.

Seven's Kerry Stokes argues that "the most important challenge in free television" remains "the pursuit of quality programming relevant to audiences".

"Pay television has achieved a strong market penetration and delivered alternative programming and, in some respects, has focused free television on playing to its strengths and creating more programming relevant to Australians," he says.

These are reassuring sentiments in an age when so-called content farms, such as Demand Media, create millions of mostly low-quality pieces of content, targeted at search engines and social media, with the sole aim of generating page views and advertising revenue.

What is not clear is whether existing media platforms will be able to fund the creation of this new content with their share of advertising revenues under attack. While the local newspaper industry has held up well compared with the US -- Senator John Kerry declared newspapers an "endangered species" when The Boston Globe in his home state of Massachusetts faced the threat of closure -- there have been cuts to journalists across the board.

Rupert Murdoch has taken the fight to news aggregators such as Google, arguing that "content kleptomaniacs" should have to share more of the financial burden. At the same time he is moving towards an online payment model for New Corp's newspapers and channels. These promise to be two of the defining issues of the next 10 years.

Radio and television have also kept a weather eye on costs.

Regulation will also continue to play a big part in shaping the industry. No big changes are expected when Communications Minister Stephen Conroy announces new anti-siphoning legislation (which confines some sport to free-to-air channels) in the coming weeks, but changes to "reach" provisions (no television station can cover more than 75 per cent of the national audience) and cross-media ownership restrictions are expected as the national broadband network takes shape. "It's our view that a lighter touch with regard to regulation is a good idea," says Southern Cross Media chairman Max Moore-Wilton.

Nevertheless, the industry remains confident it can create the content needed to attract views and earn advertising dollars. Indeed, the ABC's Mark Scott argues that broadband has given birth to new methods of "story telling".

Stokes, who has spent more than $100 million on 4G wireless spectrum, is another who believes that the NBN will fundamentally change how "media operates in this country -- how we create and how we deliver content and services".

"And I suspect that by the end of the next decade, we will simply not have sufficient spectrum to handle the oceans of available data and meet consumer demand for services," Stokes says.

Certainly, nobody is expecting the pace or scope of change to drop off soon. "I think we'll see a turbo-charging of those trends already in place," Williams says

BBC Worldwide launches 3 channels on Hong Kong Cable

From http://www.indiantelevision.com/headlines/y2k9/dec/dec189.php

MUMBAI: Subscribers of Hong Kong’s pay-TV operators, Hong Kong Cable, will have access to BBC Lifestyle, BBC Entertainment and CBeebies. The three channels will join BBC Knowledge that launched on the platform less than two months ago and BBC World News.

All the five channels will be available free of charge to all Hong Kong Cable subscribers from 22 December to 21 January 2010, after which they will be part of the BBC Family Pack.

During the free-view period, viewers who purchase a 12-month subscription of the BBC Family Pack will get the channels free for an extra month.

Says BBC Worldwide Channels Asia senior VP, GM Mark Whitehead, “We are excited to be expanding our distribution and that the full portfolio of channels encapsulating the quality, breadth and depth of our programming, will be available to Hong Kong Cable subscribers.

“Hong Kong is an important market for BBC Worldwide and our partnership with Hong Kong Cable builds on our commitment to bring great quality programming to more viewers in Asia.”

"We are confident that the channels’ high quality programming across a range of genres, available on the BBC Family Pack, will be welcomed by our viewers.”

In Hong Kong, the BBC Knowledge, BBC Lifestyle and BBC Entertainment are subtitled in Chinese.

Orbital Awarded New Contract for IS-23 Communications Satellite by Intelsat

From http://spacefellowship.com/2009/12/18/orbital-awarded-new-contract-for-is-23-communications-satellite-by-intelsat/

Orbital Sciences Corporation (NYSE: ORB), one of the world’s leading space technology companies, today announced that it has been selected by Intelsat, S.A., the leading provider of fixed satellite services, to design, build and deliver the 23 (IS-23) commercial communications satellite. The satellite will be based on Orbital’s flight-proven STAR-2 platform.

The IS-23 satellite will generate 4.8 kilowatts of payload power and carry 15 active Ku-band and 24 active C-band transponders. The IS-23 satellite will be located in orbit at 53 degrees West longitude following its launch in late 2011. The spacecraft will provide communications services for the Americas, Europe and Africa. The IS-23 satellite is expected to have a useful life of at least 15 years. It is the 28th Orbital-built geosynchronous communications satellite ordered by customers throughout the world since 2001 and will be the 10th in the Intelsat fleet.

“We are very appreciative of Intelsat’s order for the IS-23 satellite and for the continued business from one of our most valued customers,” said Mr. Michael Larkin, Orbital’s Executive Vice President and General Manager of its Space Systems Group. “Our entire satellite design, manufacturing and testing team is dedicated to producing highly reliable satellites on the industry’s shortest delivery schedule each and every time. Intelsat’s selection of Orbital for the IS-23 program affirms their long-standing confidence in the smaller-sized STAR platform.”

The IS-23 satellite is one of 10 Orbital spacecraft ordered by Intelsat since 2001 that are either now in orbit or in production for upcoming launches. The other satellites are as follows:

Galaxy 12 and 14, currently in orbit providing C-band digital video programming, high-definition television (HDTV) and other fixed satellite services to the continental United States, Alaska and Hawaii.

Galaxy 15, currently in orbit providing services similar to Galaxy 12 and 14 with an additional L-band payload to relay Global Positioning Systems (GPS) navigation data to in-flight aircraft.

Intelsat 11, a hybrid satellite currently in orbit with a C-band payload serving the continental United States, Mexico and South America, and a Ku-band payload serving DirecTV’s downlink for Brazil, with additional spot coverage.

Horizons-2, currently in orbit for a joint venture between Intelsat and SKY Perfect JSAT of Japan, to meet the growing demand for Ku-band communications in North America.

Intelsat 15, currently in orbit following its launch on November 30, 2009 with a high power Ku-band payload to provide video and data services for the Middle East and Indian Ocean regions, as well as Russia.

Intelsat 16, a high power Ku-band satellite to provide direct-to-home TV services to Latin and South America. The construction of the satellite has been completed and is now scheduled to be shipped to the launch site in early 2010.

Intelsat 18, a hybrid C- and Ku-band satellite now in production to provide services to East Asia, the Pacific, French Polynesia and the United States scheduled for delivery in 2010.

New Dawn, a hybrid C- and Ku-band satellite now in production to provide services to Europe, Middle East, North Africa and Sub-Saharan regions scheduled for delivery in 2010.

Orbital’s highly successful geosynchronous Earth orbit (GEO) communications satellites are based on the company’s STAR spacecraft platform, which is able to accommodate all types of commercial communications payloads and is compatible with all major commercial launchers. The company’s STAR product line includes the STAR 2.4 design, which is optimized for smaller satellite missions that can support up to 5.0 kW of payload power. Orbital has also developed the higher-power STAR 2.7 spacecraft design, delivering the next increment of payload power for applications between 5.0 and 7.5 kW, allowing Orbital to offer its innovative and reliable satellite design to the medium-class of communications satellites.

Nation Launches Two Satellites Soon

From http://allafrica.com/stories/200912210102.html

Lokoja — ALL is now set for the launching of two Nigeria satellites to the space by the third quarter of next year, Minister of Science and Technology, Dr. Alhassan Bako Zaku has disclosed.

Zaku made this known while speaking during the third annual national media conference on space and technology organized by the National Space Research and Development Agency (NASRDA) held in Lokoja, capital of Kogi State, recently stressing that the satellites are about 95 per cent complete.

The minister added that the two Earth Observation satellites namely, NigeriaSat-2 and NigeriaSat-X are of high resolutions, explaining that Nigeriasat-2 carried a high-resolution imagery of 2.5m [pan] and 5m [mutispectral] along with a 32m spatial resolution payload that will be used to replace NigeriaSat-1 who have lifespan of five years which is still in the orbit.

Equally, he noted that Nigerian engineers using facilities of Surrey Satellite Technology Limited of the United Kingdom solely built NigeriaSat-X, which is the first indigenous Earth Observation satellites that will be launched into space.

In his remark, Governor Ibrahim Idris commended the effort of the agency for its effort in taking the country to the citadel of technological advancement through the launching of NigeriaSat-1 in 2003 and the deorbited NigComSat-1in 2007, which is a technological breakthrough for the nation, adding that the launching of the satellites marked the country march towards technological development and consequently socio-economic development of the nation.

Earlier, the Director-General of the agency, Dr. Seidu Onailo Mohammed, explained that the idea behind the media workshop was to assist the journalists with relevant information that will go along way in reshaping the views, interest and understanding of the ordinary man in the country in space science and technology and the benefits that abound in its exploration.

Bangladesh plans to launch telecommunication satellite soon

From http://www.satprnews.com/2009/12/20/bangladesh-plans-to-launch-telecommunication-satellite-soon/

Bangladesh wants to enter space-age soon as the government plans to launch a satellite into the space for the development of the country’s telecommunications services.

The Bangladeshi Post and Telecommunications Minister Razi UddinAhmed Raju made the announcement at a press conference Thursday, according to the private news agency UNB.

He said the satellite to be installed in the space will be used only for business purpose.

“The Post and Telecommunications Ministry has already negotiated with some countries like Germany, Russia and China for the launch of the first ever satellite of the country,” he said.

“If we get technical supports from those countries, we will be able to launch the satellite into space soon,” he added.

He also informed that many foreign investors expressed their willingness to invest in the country’s telecommunications sector.

DTH operators feel HITS will expand the digital market

From http://www.indiantelevision.com/headlines/y2k9/dec/dec201.php

NEW DELHI: Direct-to-home operators said they did not treat the cable operator as their competitor and felt DTH was simply one other way for the country to get digitised.

They were also unanimous that Headend-in-the-Sky (HITS) would not hit them adversely as that would also help expedite the march towards digitisation. In any case, they felt that the country was large enough to accommodate different kinds of technologies.

The operators were speaking during a session on ‘Spotlight: DTH’ on the final day at the Focus 2009, the third Global Summit on Entertainment and Media, organised by Assocham.

Airtel DTH director and CEO Ajai Puri said DTH was essentially a way of digitizing technology and making television accessible to remote corners of the country and the poorest of the poor. The principal market of the DTH operators was the non-cable and the non-TV market since many in remote areas did not buy TV sets since they did not receive signals.

But he said digitisation was not the responsibility of only the government. He also complained that the DTH segment was the highest taxed – almost 50 per cent – and this situation had to be corrected. The cost of content was also very high, he said.

Dish TV president Rajiv Khattar who chaired the session agreed that taxation was too high. He said DTH gave the consumer greater choice and has taken the cable operators out of their complacency. The important feature was that DTH did not have a rural-urban divide. He said the country was gradually moving into a scenario where the stakeholders had to contend with increasing number of TV sets rather than TV households.

He felt that HITS will only help to expand the market and give the consumer greater choice. ARPUs (average revenue per user) would increase if consumers are offered more than what cable TV does.

Baring Partners Equity media head Mohit Ralhan said even if ARPUs do not increase, the cost of content would fall. He said the on-demand market has not increased very highly all over the world, but in India it is already a billion dollar market.

He said whatever is better, faster and cheaper will succeed. At present, 60 to 65 per cent of DTH was in rural areas. But he expected DTH to break even only in about seven to eight years.

NDS India GM Alan Dishington said in reply to a question by Cable Operators Federation of India President Roop Sharma who was the moderator of the session that DVR is a new technology and will take some time to find roots in India. The fact that set top boxes were subsidized also affected the market and the pricing could not be too high.

Answering a question, Sharma said the government must find a way to give right of way to cable operators so that wires do not hang around all over the place.

From http://www.satellite-evolution.com/site/newsresult.htm?file=IPSTAR%20committed%20to%20NBN

IPSTAR Australia has said that it welcomed an opportunity to commit its Satellite Capacity to NBN and was in already in discussions with NBN Co about solving the rural broadband issue. Having already demonstrated NBN grade services in Canberra recently, IPSTAR believes it is well placed to provide a quick launch for NBN Co’s rural high speed broadband. To date, consumer services up to 4Mbps have been available by IPSTAR and its ABG accredited Service Providers. “Few people realise that IPSTAR Service Providers accredited with the existing Government ABG subsidy are already leading the way for consumer satellite broadband speeds on a global scale today” said IPSTAR General Manager, Supoj Chinveeraphan, Ph.D. “Consumers will definitely represent the majority of the services we’ll connect in Australia; however we are also going to set a new bench mark for economical satellite broadband business solutions”, Supoj added. IPSTAR said that in its discussions with the Government and NBN Co to date it had volunteered approaches to solving the rural broadband problem and highlighted long term capacity requirements along with the challenges. “Even with 75,000 customers installed and connected already, we still have significant satellite capacity available today and THAICOM-4 isn’t going anywhere for at least the next 10 years. We’ll continue talking with NBN Co about how we deliver decent broadband services now and in parallel to any other satellite that goes up in the future” said IPSTAR Sales Manager, Phil Cross. He added “As you’d expect, we’re more than ready to contribute our existing capacity to the larger NBN rural broadband requirement”. In the meantime IPSTAR will continue deploying rural services with its Service Providers and the existing ABG subsidy scheme until an alternative approach is executed.

Indonesian meeting tackles piracy

From http://www.rapidtvnews.com/index.php/200912175459/indonesian-meeting-tackles-piracy.html

Three days of discussion in Indonesia aimed at reducing pay-TV piracy have ended, and included the Ministry of Communications outlining an objective to make the “operating permit” process for cable TV providers “easier and simpler”. By the end of the first quarter of 2010, action will be taken against remaining illegal operators.

A three-day programme, coordinated by the Cable & Satellite Broadcasting Association of Asia (CASBAA) and centred on an APEC/ASEAN (Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation/Association of South-East Asia Nations) symposium, looked at piracy across the Asian region. A series of government and industry meetings included officials drawn from 16 governments and pay-TV broadcasters including MTV, Turner Broadcasting, ESPN Star Sports and News Corp, as well as conditional access provider Irdeto and Viaccess and pay-TV platform operators including Indovision, Cignal and Foxtel.

Among items covered in Jakarta were the impact of TV piracy on domestic creative industries and investment in networks; the losses incurred by governments in terms of tax revenues foregone from black-market and grey-market commercial piracy; the vast potential damage from mass online piracy of TV content and the need for governments and industry to work cooperatively.

"The three days of intensive interaction between the APEC and ASEAN officials and the subscription TV industry have been unique in the development of our sector," said Marcel Fenez, the Chairman of CASBAA. "We greatly look forward to the next stages of this dialogue in 2010."

SES Wins Auction for ProtoStar 2

From http://www.spacenews.com/satellite_telecom/091217-ses-wins-auction-for-protostar2.html

Luxembourg-based SES, which had always been viewed as the most likely winner, faced only Hong Kong-based AsiaSat in the auction. Intelsat of Bermuda and Washington had expressed an early interest in ProtoStar 2 but ultimately did not take an active role in the auction, held at the New York offices of law firm Milbank, Tweed, Hadley & McCloy.

SES spokesman Yves Feltes declined Dec. 17 to discuss SES’s plans for ProtoStar 2, which was launched in May and is operated at 107.7 degrees east longitude, saying the company would withhold comment until the purchase had cleared bankruptcy court and U.S. regulatory approval.

One issue in the run-up to the auction was the value of the anchor-tenant contract with Indovision of Indonesia for ProtoStar 2’s S-band payload. Moving the satellite too far from its current slot would have meant losing the Indovision business with little chance of finding a replacement customer for the S-band frequency, which is little used in commercial satellite telecommunications.

SES already operates the NSS-11 satellite at 108.2 degrees east — less than a degree away — and will be able to move ProtoStar 2 to the SES position without undermining the Indovision business. AsiaSat would have had to move the satellite to 105.5 degrees east and may have had difficulty convincing Indovision that the move could be accomplished without undermining the Indonesian coverage.

Industry officials and documents filed with the Delaware Bankruptcy Court, where San Francisco- and Bermuda-based ProtoStar Ltd. filed for Chapter 11 reorganization in July, indicate that Indovision secured its S-band payload access on relatively favorable terms.

Among other contract terms, Indovision secured from ProtoStar the right to purchase the S-band payload two years into ProtoStar 2 operations for around $130 million. In the meantime, it agreed to pay annual lease charges that gradually climb from $18 million to around $23 million.

AsiaSat’s intention to move ProtoStar 2 to AsiaSat’s 105.5-degree slot would have required the approval of Indovision or risked losing the Indonesian business.

Protostar 2, a Boeing 601HP satellite model, carries 22 Ku-Band transponders as well as 10 S-band transponders, plus spares. It is expected to have a service life of at least 15 years.

SES made the purchase, through its SES Leasing subsidiary based on Britain’s Isle of Man, for its SES World Skies division.

SES World Skies Chief Executive Robert Bednarek said the company “already has a thriving video neighborhood in the immediate vicinity of ProtoStar 2 as well as appropriate orbital rights that allow for expansion.”

“By acquiring a healthy satellite in orbit, we are fast-tracking future revenue growth and providing our customers with incremental capacity while reinforcing our commitment to the continued development of the Asian direct-to-home market,” Bednarek said.

Etisalat Secures Capacity on Intelsat 15 to Expand Broadband Services in the Middle East

From http://wireless.sys-con.com/node/1224960

Intelsat, S.A., the world’s leading provider of fixed satellite services, announced that Etisalat UAE has signed a multi-year capacity contract on Intelsat’s recently launched Intelsat 15 satellite (IS-15), located at 85º E. Etisalat will utilize this capacity to expand its network platform beyond the United Arab Emirates and provide higher-bandwidth broadband services to its enterprise customers throughout the Gulf region.

“Etisalat is the leading provider of connectivity in the Middle East. This is due to our investment in satellite coverage, alliances with strategic global partners and our investment in international cable systems. This agreement with Intelsat will enhance the service that we are able to provide all of our customers, especially those located in areas where it is not possible either to deploy or maintain a terrestrial network,” said Ali Amiri, Executive Vice President, Carrier and Wholesale Services, Etisalat. “IS-15 provides us with the Ku-band coverage that will further enhance our already market-leading and reliable network for our enterprise clients in the banking, energy, financial services, hospitality, retail and transport sectors.”

“IS-15 will have a satellite footprint that covers the majority of the Middle East and Russia, making it an ideal spacecraft for delivering broadband, enterprise and video services to these regions,” said Jean-Philippe Gillet, Intelsat’s Regional Vice President, Europe and Middle East. “By 2012, IS-15 will be joined by three additional Intelsat satellites—Intelsat 17, Intelsat 20 and Intelsat 22—that will offer incremental capacity to enable our customers to deploy more sought after applications.”

IS-15, launched 30 November, is expected to go into service in the first quarter of 2010. Once on station, IS-15 will replace the Intelsat 709 satellite, and IS-15’s high power Ku-band payload will serve the Middle East, Russia and the Indian Ocean region. Customers will use IS-15’s capacity to distribute high growth applications that include cellular backhaul for wireless communications to remote locations; broadband networks for enterprise applications; IP Trunking for robust Internet connectivity; and video services for DTH programming.

About Etisalat

Etisalat, a leading telecommunications services provider in the Middle East delivering voice and data network services, has operations in the UAE and Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Sudan, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Indonesia, India, Nigeria, Benin, Niger, Gabon, Burkina Faso, Togo, Central African Republic, Ivory Coast, Tanzania and most recently Sri Lanka. Etisalat offers its customers a full range of telecommunication services and solutions including mobile, fixed-line telephony, Internet, cable TV services to businesses, government and other telecom companies. Etisalat has currently the largest international roaming network in the region with more than 520 operators around the world covering more than 190 countries.

About Intelsat

Intelsat is the leading provider of fixed satellite services worldwide. For over 45 years, Intelsat has been delivering information and entertainment for many of the world’s leading media and network companies, multinational corporations, Internet Service Providers and governmental agencies. Intelsat’s satellite, teleport and fiber infrastructure is unmatched in the industry, setting the standard for transmissions of video, data and voice services. From the globalization of content and the proliferation of HD, to the expansion of cellular networks and broadband access, with Intelsat, advanced communications anywhere in the world are closer, by far.

Orbital wins satellite order from Intelsat

From http://washington.bizjournals.com/washington/stories/2009/12/14/daily67.html

Orbital Sciences Corp. has been selected to design, build and deliver a communications satellite for Intelsat SA.

Dulles-based Orbital said that the Intelsat 23 commercial communications satellite would provide communications services for the Americas, Europe and Africa after its expected launch in late 2011. The satellite will have a useful life of at least 15 years.

The company said that the Intelsat-23 will be the 28th Orbital-built geosynchronous communications satellite ordered by customers throughout the world since 2001 and the tenth satellite purchased by Intelsat. Six are now in orbit and three others are under construction or completed and awaiting launch.

Financial details of the purchase were not released, but the order will provide new business for the satellites and space systems division whose sales declined 24 percent to $75.7 million in the third quarter of 2009 as work was completed on several communications satellite contracts. In the quarter, Orbital (NYSE: ORB) earned $9.4 million on revenue of $277.1 million.

The channel offers a lineup of contemporary dramas, comedy, reality programming and talk and entertainment shows. Programs available to Astro viewers as part of Granada TV's 2010 schedule include Prime Suspect, a crime drama series starring Helen Mirren; Super Agents, a reality show set in the world of modern sports management; The Crunch, a challenge show; and the Royal Variety Performance 2009, in which celebrity performers from around the world gather to entertain Queen Elizabeth II. Granada TV will be available to all 2.8 million Astro subscribers as part of the Astro Family Pack, starting December 21.

Henry Tan, the COO at Astro, said, “Our channel portfolio delivers to our customers a broad range of entertaining and high-end programming from around the world. As a tribute to our customers for their continuous support of Astro, we are pleased to offer Granada TV on our platform. We are happy to announce that Granada TV will be available to all our viewers starting from December 21, 2009. The channel contains many of the U.K.’s best shows and we are sure our growing audiences will enjoy what this exciting new channel has to offer.”

James Ross, the regional director for Asia at ITV Studios Global Entertainment, added, “The launch of Granada TV on Astro caps off a terrific year in distribution for the channel and follows our recent launches in Korea, Singapore and Thailand. Being a part of the Astro DTH platform is also a further endorsement in our channel proposition of fresh contemporary entertainment, drama and reality programming. Astro customers will, for the first time, have access to an extraordinary range of fresh entertainment programming from ITV, one of the world’s leading TV broadcasters and producers. The footprint of Granada TV continues to grow with more carriage agreements to be announced at the start of 2010.

Mediacorp unable to bring World Cup to Singapore for free due to “substantial costs”

From http://www.temasekreview.com/2009/12/18/mediacorp-unable-to-bring-world-cup-to-singapore-for-free-due-to-substantial-costs/

Singapore’s sole broadcasting station Mediacorp, which is owned by Temasek Holdings, said that it is unable to bring live telecasts of the next World Cup held in South Africa next year to Singapore due to “substantial costs”.

The World Cup is the largest sporting event in the world with an expected viewership of more than 2 billion people.

Earlier, both SingTel and Starhub had announced that they have yet to reach an agreement with the organizers FIFA for television rights to screen the World Cup in Singapore due to “financial considerations”.

As of today, 202 countries in the world have already penned a deal with FIFA. Singapore remains one of the few countries together with war-torn Somalia which have yet to do so.

Soccer fans have written in to the Straits Times to vent their frustration with many calling on the authorities to step in to exert pressure on the telcos to bring free World Cup telecasts to Singapore.

Faced with mounting public anger, the Vice-President of Network Acquisitions, Joy Olby-Tan wrote a letter to the Straits Times Forum today clarifying that there is “no specific Fifa ruling for any match to be provided free of charge by Fifa to any broadcaster, nor is there a mandate for any match to be aired on a free-to-air basis.”

“Any match carriage is subject to a commercial agreement between the broadcasters and Fifa. Therefore, MediaCorp needs to balance the substantial costs of bringing in the World Cup matches for viewers with revenues from advertisers and sponsors,” he concluded his brief letter.

The term “free telecast” is a misnomer in Singapore because all Singaporeans have to pay a mandatory TV licence fee of about $110 to the government yearly whether one owns a television set or watch locally produced programmes and news on television.

The World Cup will be screened for free in more than a dozen Asian countries as of now such as China, Australia and New Zealand with more following suit next year.

According to Radio New Zealand International, football fans in the entire Pacific region will have uninterrupted and free television coverage of all 64 matches from the World Cup:

“Football fans in the Pacific region will have uninterrupted television coverage of next years world cup in South Africa.

This follows a deal between the Oceania Football Confederation and Fiji’s MAI television to broadcast the 64 matches from the World Cup free to viewers in the region.”

The two giant telcos in Singapore – SingTel and Starhub are owned by the government indirectly via its sovereign wealth fund, Temasek Holdings, which is headed by the Prime Minister’s wife, Ho Ching.

Insurgents intercept video feeds

From http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9142447/Insurgents_intercept_video_feeds_from_U.S._drones_using_26_software_report_says

Pentagon has 'fixed' the flaw with the unencrypted feed, defense offical says

Computerworld - Militants in Iraq and Afghanistan have intercepted live video feeds from unmanned U.S. Predator drones using $26 off-the-shelf software made by a Russian company, according to a report in the Wall Street Journal.

Although there is little evidence that the break-in allowed militants to take actual control of the drones or interfere with their flights, the video interception could give them vital information on targets under U.S. surveillance, the report said.

Iranian-backed insurgents in Iraq have been able to intercept the video feeds using a program called SkyGrabber, from Russian company SkySoftware, the Journal reported. The company describes SkyGrabber as an "offline satellite Internet downloader designed to intercept music, photos, video, programs and "funny pictures" for free.

Users don't need an Internet connection to use it. "Just customize your satellite dish to selected satellite provider and start grabbing," the company claims on its Web site. "If you want to have the newest software for free, SkyGrabber is your choice," the site says while extolling the software's graphical interface and filtering capabilities.

The militants are said to have been using SkyGrabber instead to tap into feeds from the Predator drones that are being used increasingly to support military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.

They have apparently been able to do so because the feeds being sent by some of the unmanned drones to ground control are unencrypted. It is an issue that the U.S. military has apparently known since its campaign in Bosnia in the 1990's but is beginning to be addressed only now.

The problem was discovered late last year when the U.S. military arrested a Shiite militant and found a laptop containing intercepted drone feeds. Similar feeds were later discovered on laptops belonging to numerous other militants leading the military to believe that groups funded and trained by Iran where behind the interception, the Journal said.

Most of the feeds that were intercepted were in Iran, but evidence has been found showing that similar interceptions have been taking place in Afghanistan as well.

A defense offical said late today that the Pentagon had "fixed" the security hole that had allowed hackers to access the drones' video feeds.

US Congress satellite decision angers Middle East

From http://bikyamasr.com/?p=7002

CAIRO: Human rights groups and activists in Egypt and across the Middle East are angered over an American Congress decision to penalize Arab satellite channels that are deemed “enemies of the United States.” Already, the sentiments are that the move is a major setback in terms of freedom of speech and expression.

The Arabic Network for Human Rights Information (ANHRI) said the bill “represented a sharp additional decline on the U.S. promises to improve its poor record in civil and political freedoms locally and internationally.”

The United States is largely seen as a “protector” of media and free speech despite recent years of attempts to curtail Arab networks from entering the American market.

“How are they going to determine who is an enemy of the U.S.,” said Hassan al-Naggar, a local media analyst. “Will this mean that Al Jazeera is an enemy, since the Americans did bomb it before? It just doesn’t make sense in terms of their ideology of freedom and such.”

Congress passed the bill that imposes sanctions on satellite channels’ content that could be interpreted as being “hostile to the United States” on December 8. It came as a response to accusations that a number of channels were supervising “terrorist organizations.”

Ironically, the bill comes just weeks after Qatar-based Al Jazeera was given the go ahead to broadcast in Canada.

“This bill severely conflicts with international standards and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights ratified by the United States, and is an iteration of many of the serious mistakes with which the former U.S. administration has flooded both U.S. citizens and Arabs,” a statement from ANHRI said. “However, when the bill is proposed at that time, while President Obama is in office, it is considered a crime and an extortion, especially as the law seems to have been drafted in a way similar to that of law tailors of Egypt, to siege and contain specific satellite TV channels.”

Naggar agrees, arguing that because the world has much respect for Obama, “they should have dealt with this differently, instead of passing a bill, they should have done something different. It tarnishes Obama’s struggling image.”

The Arabic Network added that “the threat of penalizing channels that broadcast ‘hostile’ or ‘terrorist’ content without an identification or definition of these loose terms, is considered bullying, especially that these terms may imply material that support the right to resist Israeli occupation of Palestine or the American occupation of Iraq. There is such a great difference between terrorism and resistance.”

Congress hopes the new legislation, which requires the President to issue an annual report on anti-American sentiments in broadcasting, will create more equitable television viewing that leaves violence off American air waves.

But for ANHRI and Naggar, it is too much. ANHRI has called on global rights groups to condemn the bill.

“I think they are right to call for condemnation because this sort of thing will only foster more hatred and create divisions between America and the Arab world,” added Naggar.

ZEE Punjabi replaced with ZEE Russia in Europe

From http://media247.co.uk/bizasia/newsarchive/2009/12/zee_punjabi_rep.php

ZEE Network's Punjabi channel, ZEE Punjabi has been replaced with its Russian service called, ZEE Russia, in Europe. Viewers watching in the UK are not affected.

The popular network has been dabbling with the idea of switching ZEE Punjabi to ZEE Russia for sometime but has only implemented the change earlier this week.

It is not known exactly why ZEE Punjabi has ceased in Europe (outside UK) on the Hotbird satellite after a long enough stint in the area. Speculation has it that ZEE Punjabi was underperforming in the territory and ZEE Russia being the Russian language version of flagship channel, ZEE TV, has clicked well with viewers. ZEE Russia broadcasts dubbed shows from the ZEE TV India library.

In the UK, ZEE Punjabi remains the UK's only Punjabi entertainment TV channel after services like Channel Punjab and Punjjabi TV were axed. The Sikh Channel, a Sikh religious channel continues to broadcast free-to-air on Sky Digital.

From http://www.republikein.com.na/die-mark/multichoice-africa-continues-strong-subscriber-growth-in-sub-sahara-africa.99801.php

MULTIChoice Africa, the continent’s leading pay-TV operator, has broken through the 1 million subscriber mark. “This is a significant milestone and we are well on track to achieve further growth with the introduction of new satellite technology early next year,” says newly appointed President Collins Khumalo, adding that this growth reflects the resilience of pay TV in tough economic conditions.

Khumalo, who recently replaced Eben Greyling as MultiChoice Africa President, will provide strategic leadership as the company moves to the next stage of its development. A seasoned executive with a comprehensive track record at Multi- Choice Africa’s operations around the continent, Khumalo will sustain the company’s strategic focus of investing in people, supporting the development of small businesses, technology and local content. Greyling has taken over as Head of pay-TV platforms at Multi- Choice Africa’s parent company MIH.

“Despite the tough operating environment following the global financial crisis, our growth in subscriber numbers is pleasing,” says Khumalo. He attributes this growth to the rich and diverse range of world class channels, as well as to the variety of affordable DStv bouquet options.

“DStv provides some of the best television entertainment worldwide. It is an affordable and attractive option, catering for the whole family,” says Khumalo. With operations in 48 Sub-Saharan countries, Khumalo will continue to focus on MultiChoice Africa’s investments and on satellite infrastructure, digital technology and new channels, with the focus ultimately on improving the DStv subscribers’ experience.

In line with this focus, MultiChoice recently rolled out High Definition Personal Video Recorders (HD PVRs), allowing subscribers more control of their viewing though added functionality such as recording, rewinding and pausing live television, allowing viewers and watch programming at their own convenience.

“Through our key channels we will continue to invest in content made in Africa for Africa, in new technology, in skills development and in developing our people to ensure that we continue to deliver exceptional value for our subscribers. We also remain committed to supporting local economies through our social investment initiatives,” concludes Khumalo.

New pay-TV monopoly

From http://www.mg.co.za/article/2009-12-18-new-paytv-monopoly

South Africans hoping for greater choice in the pay-television market are in for a disappointment. Regulator Icasa had promised to introduce the equivalent of cable services into the market as a way of offering greater choice.

The cable-equivalent services work on the same basis as cable, where subscribers pay to access a bouquet of television channels, but in South Africa, Internet Protocol Television (IPTV) will be used as the delivery mechanism.

The idea is that consumers can choose either rival satellite services or select from a range of cable services.

But the DStv rivals are still to come to market and the Mail & Guardian has learned that the cable option has been given on a monopoly basis to a single company.

The firm is Super5Media, formerly Telkom Media -- the only licensed cable provider in the country.

The main benefactor of Icasa's decision to license a single player in the IPTV market is Chinese-led consortium Shenzhen Media SA, which purchased the monopoly licence from Telkom.

The M&G understands that Telkom sold its 75% shareholding in Telkom Media to Shenzhen Media SA for next to nothing, despite the fact that it had a monopoly on cable television in South Africa.

Industry insiders told the M&G that Shenzhen had paid Telkom R20-million for Telkom Media, in which Telkom had invested R470-million and where it has R20-million in cash sitting in the firm.

Three players applied for cable licences, but Telkom Media was the only successful applicant.

It is unclear where this leaves players such as MultiChoice, which are already rolling out a triple-play service that includes supplying IPTV to gated communities through its subsidiary Smart Village.

Smart's website boasts that it already has more than 1 000 homes signed up to its triple-play service.

Telkom chief executive Reuben September has been accused of a lack of leadership and many analysts have queried Telkom's long-term business strategy. This is likely to increase the pressure on September and the board.

Both Telkom and Shenzhen Media SA refused to comment on the sale price of Telkom Media, claiming the information was confidential.

Super5Media will offer a bouquet of channels that are delivered via the internet for a monthly subscription fee.

It is unclear whether other forms of IPTV, such as video on demand, would be regulated by Icasa.

Super5Media's competitors claim that Icasa has flouted due procedure by issuing it with a new licence and that there should have been a public process.

On Digital Media (ODM) lawyers sent Icasa a letter pointing out the irregularities in the issuing of the new licence, claiming that, in fact, it is null and void.

However, Super5Media director Tian du Pisanie says the initial licences issued by Icasa, which were technology neutral, were not compliant with the Electronic Communications Act and that the new licence issued by Icasa was compliant.

"Icasa has issued Super5Media with the correct licence as far as the Act is concerned," says Du Pisanie. "Technology neutrality is not something that exists.

"ODM are our competitor so they have their own reasons they don't want us to come to market," says Du Pisanie.

Icasa issued Super5Media with a new licence a few weeks ago and has given the firm 60 days to sort out its new shareholders' agreement and to illustrate that it will not contravene the foreign ownership limit of 20%.

Du Pisanie told the M&G this week that it did not contravene the foreign ownership limit because 80% of Shenzhen Media SA was owned by local company Imbandi Media and only 20% was held by Chinese company Sino-Africa Development Group, an effective 15% shareholding in Super5Media.

However, Shenzhen Media SA is still in negotiations with its minority shareholders to finalise the shareholders' agreement.

The minority shareholders include Given Mkhari's MSG Afrika Investments, Anant Singh's Videovision and the Women's Development Bank, which, together, own 25% of Super5Media.

The relationship between the minority shareholders and Telkom broke down when, after agreeing to liquidate the company, Telkom inked a deal with Shenzhen and then presented it to the minority shareholders as a "fait accompli".

The minority shareholders' response was to resign from the board and to write to Icasa expressing their dissatisfaction with the way the transaction was handled.

"At the time there were decisions being made without consultation, even though we were on the board," says Singh. "We felt like we were being marginalised."

Another source close to the minority shareholders says that the decision to withdraw from the board had to do with corporate governance concerns.

The source said discussions between Shenzhen and the minority shareholders were continuing and had been "relatively fruitful" up until this point.

Singh said it was too early to comment on the negotiations.

Meanwhile, Super5Media recently retrenched 22 more staff members employed when the company was called Telkom Media.

The M&G understands that Super5Media will face a number of legal challenges to the retrenchment process. Icasa said for legal reasons it could not comment on the issuing of the Super5Media licence.

WorldSpace may go mute in India

From http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/2009/12/18/stories/2009121853080100.htm

Signals indicate that the troubled digital satellite radio broadcasting company WorldSpace Inc may fold up its India operations too.

Though the company's Asia operations head, Mr M. Sebastian, is not available for comment, sources close to the development say he has already put in his papers, and employees are believed to be in rounds of internal discussions to figure the way out of the quagmire.

“We are clue-less, but keeping our fingers crossed,” said a highly placed official, who did not want to be named.

WorldSpace is present in over 130 countries globally, and has already been in the process of closing down its operations in most other countries. The company filed for bankruptcy protection in a US court in December last year. The $2.1-billion debt laden company sought bankruptcy protection so as to be able to raise fresh funds to repay its debts.

Early this year, Mr Sebastian told Business Line that the company was exploring various possibilities to continue its services worldwide, and as its India operation was though not cash-positive could manage on its own, “we will continue its services in India”. Hiving off its AsiaStar operations into a separate business unit and finding a suitable buyer for that is an option the company was pursuing seriously, he had said then.

However, according to India sources, the US-based multi-billion-dollar media company Liberty Media has already bought out WorldSpace's liabilities from its creditors. The two companies are now in the process of finalising an asset purchasing agreement, and some judicial formalities are still pending. According to the sources, it all now depends on whether the new owner wants to continue the company's India business.

With over 4.5 lakh subscribers (more than 50 per cent of this is through AirTel DTH), India accounts for over 95 per cent of the broadcaster's world-wide subscriber base.

Recently, a leading private sector bank signed a pact with WorldSpace to provide its services in all its ATM kiosks.

Downlinking guidelines amended to provide for HITS

From http://www.indiantelevision.com/headlines/y2k9/dec/dec180.php

MUMBAI:The government has amended the downlinking guidelines, paving the way for Headend-In-The-Sky (HITS) service providers to access content from broadcasters.

The Information and Broadcasting Ministry said Thursday satellite TV channel signal reception decoders can be provided to HITS and IPTV operators. Earlier, the downlinking guidelines provided for broadcast content only to registered MSOs/cable operators and DTH service providers.

The I&B in a statement said that after the approval, the clause 5.6 of the downlinking guidelines now provides “the applicant company shall provide satellite TV channel signal reception decoders only to MSOs/cable operators registered under the Cable Television

Networks (Regulation) Act 1995 or to a DTH operator registered under the DTH guidelines issued by Government of India or to an Internet Protocol Television (IPTV) service provider duly permitted under their existing telecom license or authorized by Department of Telecommunications or to a HITS operator duly permitted under the policy guidelines for HITS operators issued by Ministry of Information & Broadcasting, Government of India to provide such service.”

Last month, the government had cleared the HITS policy, allowing the use of 'C' and 'Ku-band' in a technology that would help boost digitisation of cable TV services across the country.

Government also allowed 74 per cent foreign direct investment
(FDI) for HITS service providers, higher than the 49 per cent cap for cable TV operators.

SATELLITE/FIBER FEEDS BEHIND-THE-SCENES AT TIMES SQUARE 2010 AND LIVE NEW YEAR’S EVE EVENT COVERAGE

FEED #1: BEHIND-THE-SCENES B-ROLL OF TIMES SQUARE 2010

Pre-New Year’s Eve footage featuring the arrival and installation of the "2010" sign at the top of One Times Square; the assembly and testing of the giant crystal New Year’s Eve Ball; and other preparations for the festivities.

For more information on the satellite/fiber feeds or the event, please contact Shelley Kapitulik at 212-725-2295 ext. 14. Information is also available on the Web at http://www.timessquarenyc.org/nye/nye.html.

FEED #2: LIVE NEW YEAR’S EVE COVERAGE OF TIMES SQUARE 2010

Live coverage of the Times Square 2010 festivities with exclusive panoramic views of Times Square and the giant crystal New Year’s Eve Ball from proprietary camera locations and the ambient and natural sounds of the revelers, including hourly countdowns to midnight, the lighting and raising of the New Year’s Eve Ball, interactive activities with the revelers and a special guest at midnight (TBA). This clean, uninterrupted feed will be provided free of charge to media organizations around the world on a non-exclusive basis solely for their use in creating television programming relating to the event. Additional information, including a detailed schedule of events and talent, will be announced shortly at http://www.timessquarenyc.org/nye/nye.html.

For more information on the satellite/fiber feeds or the event, please contact Shelley Kapitulik at 212-725-2295 ext. 14. Information is also available on the Web at http://www.timessquarenyc.org/nye/nye.html.

From http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/1025238/1/.html

SINGAPORE: Nothing, it seems, will stop Singapore football fans from catching the South African World Cup live on television next year, with fans saying they are willing to pay more to watch the month-long tournament on television from June 11.

In a report on Tuesday, it was revealed that FIFA and joint-bidders SingTel and StarHub have yet to come to an agreement over broadcast fees, which industry sources say have tripled since the Germany World Cup in 2006.

But over 200 countries have already reached an agreement with the football's world governing body, with Malaysia's only pay-TV, Astro, sealing its deal more than a year ago.

It is likely fans will resort to crossing the Causeway or to other neighbouring countries come June, or even tap into Malaysian and Indonesian free-to-air television to watch all 64 matches in the World Cup, if the telcos fail to secure the rights to beam them live here.

"I really don't mind paying more, S$30 to S$50 extra for the World Cup, which comes only every four years, is not a lot," said Richard Neubronner, who is backing Brazil and England.

"But I hope SingTel and StarHub will let us know early if they will show the matches live. The World Cup falls during the peak school holidays and if they are not showing the matches, I need to book my air tickets and hotel to probably Thailand before they are all fully booked. Might as well go for a holiday at the same time."

Agreeing, teacher Eugene Ng, who is backing Spain, said football-crazy fans will absorb a one-time increase in fees for the World Cup if they have to, adding it must also make business sense to the two telcos.

"I think from a business point of view, it is quite easy to sympathise with SingTel and StarHub," said the 29-year-old.

"I don't think it is really their duty to bring the World Cup to us. They need to make a profit as well, but I hope they will make it fair for us if they are going to charge us. I don't mind paying up to S$30 more or I will find another way through the Internet to watch the games."

Fans across the Causeway are not caught in a similar dilemma as they will not be charged extra to watch the World Cup matches.

Astro's head of sports, C K Lee, said the company paid about three times more for the broadcast rights compared to four years ago, but besides commercial reasons, considers it a national service.

The pay-TV company have about 2.3 million subscribers and the matches will be accessible to those who have already opted for their RM$67 sports package.

"I think all broadcasters had expected to pay more for this World Cup," said Lee. "For us, to keep our subscriber base, we consider it a worthwhile cost to pay for the television rights because it is the biggest sporting event in the world."

With six months to go before the big kick-off in South Africa, World Sports Group chief operating officer Andrew Georgiou is confident that cooler heads will prevail.

"I am 100 per cent confident that FIFA and the telcos will find a way to make it work at a price that the market will pay. In my opinion, there will be little chance for the World Cup not being broadcast in Singapore. It is not in FIFA or the television networks' interest," said Georgiou.

Responding to further queries, both SingTel and StarHub said they will pursue to secure the rights from FIFA.

"The 2010 FIFA World Cup will be aired by free-to-air broadcasters in some markets, so pay TV is not the only option. Nonetheless, we are interested to secure the telecast rights of the World Cup and will continue to negotiate with FIFA in an attempt to reach an agreement, so as to make the event available to the broadest number of our customers," they said.

This New Year’s Eve, Hong Kong’s world-famous Victoria Harbour will once again be the centre stage for the city’s New Year Countdown Celebrations. With stunning pyrotechnic display and lighting, the party will bring Hong Kong people and visitors together to usher in a new year.

The Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB) announced today (14 December) the staging of the New Year Countdown Celebrations for the third year on 31 December. Using Victoria Harbour as the backdrop and Two ifc as the main stage, the event will feature a spectacular pyrotechnic show, once again making Hong Kong the focal point of New Year’s Eve celebrations worldwide. The HKTB is inviting everyone in the community to join the party at Hong Kong Cultural Centre and along the harbourfront. To ring in the New Year, they are invited to take part in a synchronised community countdown by saying “Hong Kong Happy New Year, Give Me Five” – a celebratory gesture that symbolises joy and solidarity.

This year, the New Year Countdown Celebrations are once again supported by Sun Hung Kai Properties Limited and Henderson Land Development Company Limited, which will sponsor the entire expenses on the pyrotechnic display.

Mr Anthony Lau, Executive Director of HKTB, said: “The HKTB is deeply grateful to Sun Hung Kai Properties Limited and Henderson Land Development Company Limited for their support ever since the inauguration of the event, which allows us to create a New Year’s Eve party for Hong Kong people.

“Last year, the countdown was reported by more than 200 local and international media organisations, enabling Hong Kong to share the spotlight with such famous metropolitans as New York and Sydney,” Mr Lau continued. “This year, we will further enhance the pyrotechnic and lighting effects to create once again an international signature event of Hong Kong, showcasing our cosmopolitan appeal to global audiences.”

To make this year’s event even more spectacular, the HKTB will increase the number of pyrotechnic firing points by 30%, with the number of charges increasing from 6,000 to 9,000. For the first time, pyrotechnics will be arranged on the northern façade of Two ifc right in front of Victoria Harbour to create 10 different patterns and three-dimensional visual effects. Another new attempt is placing 20 sets of powerful searchlights adjacent to both sides of Two ifc to enhance the lighting effect.

And to put participants into a party mood, the HKTB will arrange music and dance performances on the Viewing Deck of Hong Kong Cultural Centre before the countdown. The performances and the entire Countdown Celebrations will be projected onto the façade of Hong Kong Cultural Centre for spectators to enjoy. Spectators will also be provided with inflatable cheering or bang bang sticks to create a fun party atmosphere.

The New Year Countdown Celebrations will be broadcast live by Television Broadcasts Limited. To ensure global audiences can share the excitement of Hong Kong, the HKTB will provide feed of the entire event to major television channels worldwide via satellite, while simulcast will be available on HKTB’s DiscoverHongKong.com website.

The actual countdown will commence one minute before midnight on 31 December 2009. To lead spectators in a synchronised community countdown, gigantic numerical display in LED lights, along with pyrotechnic effects, will appear on the northern façade of Two ifc. As the clock strikes midnight, Two ifc and nine other buildings on Hong Kong Island will put on a four-and-a-half-minute choreographed musical pyrotechnic show, which will feature a theme song specially created for the occasion by renowned composer Mr Peter Kam.

Leveraging on the New Year Countdown Celebrations, the HKTB is collaborating with the local travel trade on related travel products, such as New Year Countdown Sightseeing Tour and New Year Countdown Harbour Cruise, to create business opportunities for trade partners.

Visitors and local residents can also enjoy the countdown at various locations in Hong Kong, including the harbourfront stretching from Avenue of Stars to Hong Kong Cultural Centre in Tsim Sha Tsui, the West Kowloon Waterfront Promenade, the Expo Promenade around the Golden Bauhinia Square in Wan Chai and the vicinity of Central piers on Hong Kong Island.

(Craig's comment, last year this was on a feeds channel in the TVBS mux on Intelsat 8 Cband)

Azerbaijan to launch two telecommunication satellites in 2011-2012

From http://www.news.az/articles/4777

Two Azerbaijani telecommunication satellites to cover Eastern European, Middle Eastern and Central Asian countries are to be launched in 2011-2012.

According to the news service for the communication ministry, launching the satellite will ensure country's access to the international satellite market and provide such services as satellite television and radio, internet, data transfer, international exchange of telephone traffic and many other advanced satellite technologies.

Currently, measures aimed at implementation of the state program to create and develop airspace industry in the country are taken on the basis of the presidential order.

Works to produce telecommunication satellite, create a surface center of regulation and establish ties with satellite organizations will be conducted next year.

From http://www.goodgearguide.com.au/article/330074/pay_tv_set-top_boxes_get_greener?fp=4&fpid=776326

New energy-efficiency targets for pay TV PVRs in 2010

Australia's subscription television set-top boxes will be governed by more stringent energy-efficiency standards from 1 January 2010. Providers including Foxtel and Austar have reached an agreement with the government to improve the energy efficiency of their subscription television tuners and to consider phasing out older, less efficient products.

In Sydney today, federal environment minister Peter Garrett announced the agreement. “In Australia, pay TV subscriber numbers are on the rise; additional functionality is increasing energy use and set-top boxes are staying on for longer," Garrett said. "If we were to do nothing, energy use would more than double over the next 10 years.

“Improving the energy efficiency of pay TV set-top boxes is an area where we can achieve great results. Experts predict that this agreement will deliver energy savings of 1124 gigawatt hours, prevent 948 kilo-tonnes of carbon emissions — the equivalent of taking almost 28,000 cars off the road — and save pay TV subscribers $168 million in lower energy bills between 2009 and 2020.”

Foxtel's chief executive, Kim Williams, said that the company "has already invested substantially in set top box energy efficiency measures and in 2010 will introduce an auto-standby feature to further reduce environmental impact in our customer homes."

Telecom’s TiVo rights not permanent, says Hybrid TV

From http://pcworld.co.nz/pcworld/pcw.nsf/feature/E4D1C13CF303590ACC25768E00129513

No timeframe given, but Telecom will not maintain rights forever, Hybrid TV says.

Entertainment junkies will not be forced to go through Telecom to buy a TiVo and access its broadband-based content in future, says Hybrid TV CEO Robbee Minicola.

TiVos are currently sold exclusively through Telecom outlets and users can only access the device’s online content like on-demand movies and games if they are Telecom broadband customers.

But in a recent interview with PC World, Minicola said that arrangement would not last forever.

She said Hybrid TV’s partnership with Telecom had been necessary to gain a foothold in the New Zealand market and to provide unmetered access to TiVo content. It was the first time the TiVo had been sold exclusively through an ISP and the situation could change when the uptake of the device increased.

“Once we feel that we have conquered as much as we can with [Telecom’s share of the broadband market], we will look at others.”

She said Hybrid’s partnership with Telecom had gone well so far and she would not be drawn on when Hybrid might look to strike deals with other ISPs.

Minicola also revealed that Hybrid TV was working on a number of new additions for TiVo users next year. Changes would include a continuing expansion of the existing movie library and an increase in the amount of interactive content available over the device’s online Caspa interface.

“The evolving side of our story is services. Like you have apps on the iPhone, we want to have apps for Caspa.”

Services like language, personal development and cooking lessons would be added and users would be able to interact with them using their TV remote. For example, a user might take an Italian language course and then interact with the application by using their remote to answer a series of multi-choice questions about what they had learnt, she said.

Changes may also be made in the pay-per-view area, she said. Hybrid TV was considering giving TiVo users the choice of whether to watch pay-per-view content for free, by accepting to watch the content with advertisements throughout, or to pay for the content ad-free, as they do currently.

“It’s the Tony Soprano approach. If we chose to deliver them adverts in the content without giving them the choice they would not be happy.”

Minicola admitted the addition of on-demand content on Xbox and PlayStation 3 was providing competition for the TiVo, but said Hybrid TV’s move towards apps would maintain TiVo’s advantage.

“Anything that you can do on the TV is absolutely competition, but Xboxs and PlayStations aren’t looking at services, they aren’t looking at your [personal] development. They just want to sell you their movies,” she said.

There will, once again, be free satellite feeds of the New Year's Eve celebration in Times Square, New York. The feeds will be made available free of charge to domestic and international television outlets, in addition to mobile phone TV providers, IPTV, vlogs and user generated content sites.

The feeds will feature complete coverage of the festivities, including exclusive panoramic views of Times Square and the giant crystal New Year's Eve Ball from proprietary locations on rooftops and the street; ambient and natural sounds of the revelers; and the traditional ball lowering at midnight EST. In addition to live New Year's Eve feeds, a B-Roll package feed on December 28 will feature a special behind-the-scenes look at the making of Times Square New Year's Eve, including the arrival and installation of the "2010" sign at the top of One Times Square; the assembly and testing of the giant crystal New Year’s Eve Ball; and other preparations for the festivities. These clean, uninterrupted feeds will be provided free of charge to operators and networks on a non-exclusive basis solely for use in creating television programming relating to the event.

(Craig's comment, I have the deetails and will put them on the site Thursday)

London, UK – December 15, 2009 – KidsCo, the international children’s channel, has today announced launches in a host of countries across Europe and Africa. The deals will see some of the world’s leading TV providers airing KidsCo classic content alongside original productions such as Jass Time! and Boo & Me.

KidsCo will be airing on Infrasat in Angola, On.net in Macedonia, Sun Communications in Moldova and Communique in Hungary. The channel will also air on P&TLuxembourg, Cyprus Telecom, London Satellite Systems in Mauritius, Telekomunikacja Polska in Poland while new affiliates in Romania include Botu Communication, Dynamic Distribution and GMB Computers. All launches will be taking place throughout December.

Over the past year, KidsCo has continued its charge up the list of top children’s channels, adding new regions every month and signing content deals with the likes of FremantleMedia. These deals cement the company’s plan to become one of the world’s most watched and loved kids’ channels.

Paul Robinson, managing director at KidsCo said: “We knew 2009 would be a big year for us as we pushed further into Europe and Asia. These deals will launch KidsCo into half a million new homes, bringing our brand of light-hearted edutainment to children across the world. We want to stand out from traditional kids programming, to this end we ensure our choice of shows aired go through a rigorous process to ensure maximum education and entertainment for our audience.”

-ENDS-

About KidsCo

KidsCo is the fourth global children’s television network. Launched in September 2007, KidsCo is a joint venture channel owned by leading media companies NBC Universal, Corus Entertainment Inc. (Nelvana) and Cookie Jar Entertainment.

KidsCo provides a safe environment for children, offering a library of gently educational and age appropriate programming. KidsCo’s impressive catalogue includes animated and live-action television series and feature-length movies which are selected from leading media companies, including our shareholders – Cookie Jar Group and Corus’ Nelvana - as well as other, pre-eminent, independent programming suppliers including the BBC, Sesame Workshop, Fireworks, Iconix, TV Loonland, Daro Film and Decode.

From http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/news-by-industry/telecom/Bharti-to-foray-into-teleport-biz-to-expand-footprint-in-media-space/articleshow/5341866.cms

NEW DELHI: India’s largest telco in subscriber and revenue terms, Bharti Airtel is entering the teleport business, as it aims to expand its footprint in the media space. Teleports are permanent satellite uplink infrastructure through which broadcasters beam their channels to satellites for transmission.

While India has about 500 channels, only 50% of them use teleport service in India for uplinking and downlinking of their signals, and the remaining use the services of international players located in Singapore and Hong Kong. Bharti will have to compete with players like HFCL Satellite Communications, Essel Shyam, Lamhas, Tata Communications and also with broadcasters who run independent teleport operations.

Bharti executives said as per their estimates, 27% of the channels in India are uplinked by the captive teleport operators (by the broadcasters), while 60% market share is held by foreign players based abroad and 13% is with Indian service providers.

“We have got a teleport licence and we see this as a Rs 1,000-crore market,” explained Bharti Airtel’s president for Enterprise Services David Nishball.

The telco has also set up a separate company, Bharti Teleport, for this business since Indian regulations do not allow more than 49% foreign holding in this space. The foreign holding in Bharti Airtel is well over 49%, as the cap in the telecoms space is 74%. “Bharti Teleport is 51% owned by Bharti Enterprises and 49% by Bharti Airtel — with this structure, we are well within the country’s FDI requirements,” Mr Nishball added.

Bharti will first offer this service by uplinking of TV channels from its centre in Noida in the national capital region, followed by Mumbai and Chennai.

“As a part of our distribution service, we will carry raw content from the origination points to the production houses and take the finished content to the teleports in India or teleport operators in other markets, as required by the media customers. We will also provide content management services for media companies such as play-out, archiving, collocation and storage. We are looking at leveraging our national backbone and submarine cable network to transport content with India or other markets,” Mr Nishball added.

The teleport business is set to witness a 35-40% increase in the next fiscal, as more broadcasters are set to uplink from India rather than routing it through international destinations.

Besides, with another 100 channels awaiting the government approval for launch, the domestic market is set to witness a 25% expansion. But industry sources point out that several new players such as Globecast, Singapore Telecomk and Indigo Telecom are set to enter this space in the immediate future, increasing the competitive intensity in this sector.

Isro voices concern over broadband spectrum

From http://www.dnaindia.com/money/report_isro-voices-concern-over-broadband-spectrum_1324147

Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro) wants to ensure protection for mobile satellite and broadcasting satellite services, before the spectrum band for broadband wireless access (BWA) is finalised.

In a letter to Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) secretary RK Arnold, Isro scientific secretary A Bhaskaranarayana has written that the Department of Space (DoS) has in principle identified two slots of 20 MHz each for the possible use by BWA players.
However, "the DoS has informed the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) that use of these two 20 MHz slots by BWA will be subject to ensuring protection to the mobile satellite services and broadcasting satellite services in the spectrum bands adjacent to the proposed BWA spectrum bands," the Isro official's letter added.

The DoS and Isro concern is over allotment of BWA spectrum in 2535-2555 MHz and 2635-2655 MHz bands.

According to Isro, the Wimax characteristics, as defined currently, will affect the sensitive mobile satellite and broadcasting satellite services "due to out-of-band emission".

An expert committee, comprising representatives of DoT, DoS, and Wimax Forum, is deliberating on the issue.

"Depending on the results of these deliberations, necessary technical measures to be implemented need to be finalised," Isro said. The quantum of spectrum to be available for BWA or Wimax will depend on these deliberations.

Some of the other bands (for instance 3.4-3.6 GHz), proposed for BWA, have been rejected by the Department of Space as well.

Isro has pointed out that since many spectrum bands are used for several sensitive services and some of the bands may have specific issues, "applicability of the auction model to all bands cannot be generalised".

DoT has scheduled auction of spectrum for 3G services on January 14 and 15, 2010.

Bidding for BWA spectrum is set for two days after the conclusion of 3G auction.

However, the auction process is likely to be delayed over spectrum-related issues.

15/12/09

Live satellite chat 9.pm NZ and 8.30pm Syd time onwards in the Chatroom

In NZ seems that will need about a 3.0m dish for the global C beam, 2.4 meter dish for the southern hemisphere C beam and a 90cm-1.2m dish for the Ku-band South Pacific Beam. But at least the KU beam will be visible in NZ but not on a toroidal (bugger).

From http://www.stuff.co.nz/technology/gadgets/3161446/What-format-for-digital-radio-in-NZ

Sky TV and Freeview have moved New Zealand television into the digital age and the radio industry is now scouting a similar switch. But there are big questions that need answers before the radio industry is ready for a jump into the future.

The broadcasting infrastructure SOE, Kordia, has been trialling a digital service, Digital Audio Broadcasting (DAB), in Auckland and Wellington since November 2006, and a group of commercial broadcasters are trialling HD Radio as another possible digital format.

But there are still uncertainties over which digital option to choose, how best to introduce it and control growth, what impact it will have on existing stations, and what will happen to the existing market if new stations arise.

Many New Zealand commercial FM frequency licences expire in 2011, and few FM licence holders will want to renew analogue technology for long periods unless there is more certainty on technology.

One problem is that there's little consensus on digital radio options, and indeed whether a country the size of New Zealand, with a plethora of station choice already, needs more choice?

DAB is currently one of the most popular forms of digital radio, being used by approximately 1000 stations worldwide, however, DAB+ (an upgraded version of DAB that Australia has recently rolled out), DRM (Digital Radio Mondiale), DMB (Digital Multimedia Broadcasting), HD Radio, and Satellite Radio are other variations of the medium.

Britain introduced DAB in 1995 and about eight million Britons have bought a DAB radio set, so not only are they being rewarded with more station choice, improved reception and in some cases a better quality of sound, but it also means they are ready to be part of the proposed digital switchover there in about 2017.

DAB has been ideal for Britain, but also controversial, as it has allowed broadcasters to establish new national radio stations. This was important because the only national stations in Britain (other than a national classical station) were from the BBC. Digital radio has allowed successful regional stations, and new stations, to go national on DAB. Of course it has also allowed other stations, that would not have been given the chance on a loaded FM dial, to broadcast on DAB.

While both DAB+ and HD Radio are still being trialled in New Zealand, British broadcasters at the forefront of DAB said the most practical advice to New Zealand was that someone needs to make a decision as to the future of radio. Whichever option New Zealand chooses is not entirely relevant: the point is someone has to decide whether the future is digital.

Ofcom's Jon Heasman warns those not adopting DAB to be careful of being left behind in the radio world by not following the natural process of moving from analogue to some form of digital.

Broadcasters who wait for something better to come along will also miss out and end up doing nothing, said GCap's Nick Piggott.

The reason HD Radio appeals to commercial broadcasters in New Zealand is because it uses FM frequencies they already own, according to Aaron Olphert from Kordia. And if the broadcasters did opt for DAB+ they would face fresh advertising competition from new radio stations.

Clearly there are still uncertainties over which service to use, how best to introduce it and control growth, what impact it will have on existing stations, and what will happen to the existing market when new stations are created.

But fortunately, like Australia, New Zealand has Britain's model of trial and error to use as a blueprint for digital radio. And more so for New Zealand, Australia will be a good example of how to start up and run DAB+ in the 21st century.

If New Zealand radio is to move and evolve into the digital era a decision needs to be made before the FM licences expire in 2011. A proactive approach on which digital option to use is imperative rather than passively watching while other countries dominate in radio technology.

* Kineta Knight is a freelance print and radio journalist. This article is based on her University of Canterbury study, The Digitalisation of Radio: How the United Kingdom has Handled the Rollout of Digital Radio Lessons for New Zealand, May 2009.

Read her full report by visiting saps.canterbury.ac.nz and searching with Kineta Knight.

China launches remote-sensing satellite

From http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2009-12/15/content_12649743.htm

TAIYUAN, Dec. 15 (Xinhua) -- China sent into space a remote-sensing satellite "Yaogan VIII" from the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center Tuesday morning, according to the center.

The satellite, which was aboard a Long March 4C carrier rocket, was launched at 10:31 a.m. Tuesday, a source with the center said.

Also on board is a minisatellite, "Hope I," which will be used for the country's young people to experience aerospace science and technology. "Hope I" has already been put into orbit.

It was decided at the Q4 APSCC Board of Directors meeting in which the APSCC Board agreed on holding the 12th Asia-Pacific Satellite Communications, Broadcasting and Space Conference and Exhibition (APSCC 2010) in Tokyo, Japan from September 28th to September 30th, 2010.

After successfully organizing the APSCC 2009 event in a South East Asian country of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, the Board agreed to head towards North East Asia for the 2010 event. APSCC expects that the 2010 annual conference will embrace a larger number of participants including its members from Japan and neighboring countries.

With a variety of programs including roundtables, panel discussions, educational sessions and exhibition, APSCC 2010 will explore the evolutionary directions of advanced satellite technologies as well as the possible means to vitalize the satellite markets in the Asia-Pacific region through innovative technologies.

Once again, the annual event of APSCC is expected to be a one-stop platform offering Asian satellite industry updates to senior executives.

Benjie Fernandez, Managing Director, Mediascape, said “Our Cignal Digital TV service has had a strong start and is now the fastest growing pay-TV platform in the country. On the back of this strong growth, and with our service secured by NDS, we are planning to launch new services that will increase Cignal’s value proposition to our subscribers and further enhance our profitability. These new services are made possible by NDS technology.”

According to CASBAA, the Cable & Satellite Broadcasting Association of Asia, pay-TV piracy in Thailand and Pakistan continues to undermine market growth. In the Philippines, revenue leakage from piracy costs the government approximately US$39 million per year and is an ongoing issue which seriously affects operators’ revenues and their potential to grow their subscriber base.

Mediascape is actively combating piracy using NDS technology. In less than 7 months, Mediascape have shut down 60 illegal rebroadcasting operations. NDS has been at the forefront of the fight against pay-TV piracy for two decades and has a zero-tolerance policy on piracy. As well as continuing to ensure that its technologies are resistant to hacking, NDS actively works with both legislative bodies and law enforcement agencies to ensure that its customers’ content and platforms remain unaffected by piracy.

Simon Twiston-Davies, CEO, CASBAA, said: “Through its on-going technical solutions, NDS is an important contributor to the protection of content and revenues in Asia and the rest of the world.”

Sue Taylor, NDS Senior Vice President and General Manager Asia Pacific, commented: “Mediascape is at the forefront of the fight against piracy in the Philippines. NDS continues to work actively to combat piracy and in turn to ensure Mediascape continues to enjoy zero piracy on its platform.”

LG Electronics Takes the Lead in 3D with Skylife

From http://www.koreaittimes.com/story/6115/lg-electronics-takes-lead-3d-skylife

Aims to expand domestic TV market for 3D technology and content

Seoul, December 15, 2009 -- LG Electronics (LG) today announced a partnership with Korea Digital Satellite Broadcasting (SkyLife). This synergy between the world's leading 3D TV manu-facturer and one of the biggest 3D content providers will further reinforce LG's presence in the 3D TV market.

LG Electronics and SkyLife today signed a memorandum of understanding for the strategic partnership to take the lead in the 3D TV industry, working closely together in developing technologies to set industry standards and deploying promotional activities to help expand the market.

LG announced Korea's first 3D LCD TV in August 2009 and SkyLife will run a second trial of 3D broadcasting in January next year after airing earlier trial 3D content from October.

"LG is the first TV manufacturer in the world to cooperate with a digital satellite broadcaster to map the standards for 3D images ranging from technologies, to devices and broadcasting content," said Dr. Woo Paik, President and Chief Technology Officer at LG Electronics. "The partnership will focus on developing technology that helps produce 3D images that don't cause eye strain or dizziness -- an issue that has plagued previous technologies."

"SkyLife aims to be the top digital satellite 3D broadcaster in Korea. We expect the partnership between LG and SkyLife to propel us to the lead in digital new media. We plan to invest KRW 30 billion (USD 25 million) in creating 3D content in collaboration with LG," said Mong-ryong Lee, President and CEO at SkyLife.

LG plans to introduce a wide range of 3D TVs ranging in size from 42- to 72-inches next year, following the 47-inch LCD 3D TV (47LH503D) this year. The company also plans to include 3D functionality in its flagship models for next year. The new series features an ultra-slim bezel which is expected to maximize the 3D effect. LG's 3D technology will also find its way into 150-inch projectors in the coming year.

LG has been committed to bringing active TVs that only require shutter glasses to experience 3D images, as well as the passive models that include a filter over the screen. In addition, LG has developed a chipset to handle various types of 3D broadcast signals and continues to de-velop correcting technology that automatically controls the brightness of overlapped parts on each eye to ensure optimum 3D images.

Both LG and SkyLife have agreed to invest in creating 3D content. Starting with 3D broadcast-ing for the FIS Snowboard World Cup, both will continuously produce or distribute 3D content from sport to educational programs and movies from overseas.

The trial is initially commencing in Korea but LG is aiming to build up a global 3D TV market that includes the US and Europe. LG aims to secure and maintain leadership among 3D TV brands and has aggressive sales targets of 400,000 units in 2010 and 3.4 million units in 2011.

LG expects the 3D TV market to increase sharply as internal global surveys indicate that as many as 58 percent of consumers want to purchase 3D TVs. Up to 75 percent of consumers who have seen 3D images said that they'd like to watch them again. The company also expects strong support from the industry, including 3D broadcasters, 3D Blu-ray players, 3D game con-soles and 3D camcorder manufacturers.

LG will focus on extending the initiative in North America and Europe from 2010 and will launch 3D TVs in South and Central American and Asia from 2011. The market is expected to expand worldwide as the London 2012 Olympics are currently slated to be aired in 3D.

DisplaySearch, the leading source for information on the microdisplay industry, predicts the volume of the 3D TV market to increase sharply to USD 1.1 billion in 2010, USD 2.8 billion in 2011, USD 4.6 billion in 2012, and as much as USD 15.8 billion by 2015.

SatBroadcasting™ — Thomson's New SatSTB For Home IP Video Viewing

From http://www.satnews.com/cgi-bin/story.cgi?number=455739587

Thomson (Euronext 18453; NYSE: TMS) launched their HD MPEG-4 DSI705, the satellite industry’s first STB capable of supporting advanced, IP-based video services over existing coaxial L-band delivery infrastructures. The latest introduction to Thomson’s expanding line of 700 Series video STBs and the first of its kind for satellite, the DSI705 is able to deliver IP signals over the same coaxial cable as traditional L-band video and low-noise block (LNB) control signalling, allowing it to connect and communicate directly with other IP-enabled satellite STBs within the home, without additional wires or network connections.

This STB-to-STB networking is ideal for transferring content across devices or multi-room PVR viewing. Similarly, the DSI705 is capable of connecting to broadband home networks using an adaptor, enabling satellite subscribers to transfer IP video over-the-top (OTT) to the STB for viewing on their home TV. Easy to set up and manage, the new DSI705 set-top enables satellite providers to overlay their existing HD services with advanced video networking features, all while leveraging existing wiring infrastructure and satellite equipment. Thomson’s DSI705 provides operators with the ability to market new services and expand their residential presence using a compelling, networked service platform.

Russia Orbits Three New Glonass Navigation Satellites

From http://www.gpsdaily.com/reports/Russia_Orbits_Three_New_Glonass_Navigation_Satellites_999.html

A Proton-M carrier vehicle on Monday orbited three new Glonass-M navigation satellites, a spokesman for Russia's space agency said.

He said the satellites, launched from the Baikonur space center on Monday at 13:38 Moscow time [10:38 GMT], detached from the rocket at 17:10 Moscow time [14:10 GMT].

This was this year's final launch, bringing the total number of Glonass satellites in orbit to 22.

The 18 satellites that the Glonass system requires for continuous navigation services covering the entire territory of Russia have been in place for several months.

Another two are due to be orbited to make 24, the minimum number needed to provide services worldwide.

A total of 9.9 billion rubles ($360 million) was allocated for the Glonass project from the federal budget in 2007, and 4.7 billion rubles ($170 million) in 2006.

In September, 2008, an additional $2.6 billion was allocated to develop the system.

Sun Direct rolls out HDTV service

From http://www.livemint.com/2009/12/14212559/Sun-Direct-rolls-out-HDTV-serv.html

New Delhi: Chennai based, DTH operator Sun Direct Tv Private Ltd, is expecting to add over 45,000 subscribers to its newly launched definition television service by the March 2010. Speaking at the sidelines of the launch, Tony D’Silva, COO, Sun Direct said, “We have about 1,000 customers on our HDTV platform, which was launched on a trial basis in April this year, we hope to get in about 45,000-50,000 HDTV subscribers by the end of this fiscal.”

While the set top box will be given to the subscriber without any additional charge, the cost of installation and one year subscription will cost the customer betweem Rs 9,500 to 10,000. The average annual cost to a subscriber at present stands at around Rs 2,500.

Sun Direct TV aims to increase is number of subscribers from 4.8 million at present to 5.5 million-6 million subscribers for the full range of its direct-to-home services by the end of the current fiscal. Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.’s telecommunication systems division will manufacture the high-definition set-top boxes for Sun Direct TV. The deal has been done between Sun Direct and Samsung’s telecommunications Systems Division. “The deal has been done directly from Samsung’s Korea office and we as Samsung India Electronics Ltd will support them in promotion and marketing,” Ravindra Zutshi, Deputy managing director,Samsung India Electronics Pvt. Ltd said.

Samsung currently sells 60 % full HD LCD Tvs out of the total LCD TV sales made in an year. ” Next year we expect Full HD to be about 80 % of our LCD TV sales,” Zutshi added. Samsung would help Sun Direct in below the line promotion of the new service. The company has about 400 Samsung exclusive stores across India where the Sundirect set-top-boxes would be promoted along with Samsung HDTVs.

Sun Direct TV said it will be offering a selection of five television channels including Hindi GEC, Tamil GEC, English Movie, Kids, Educational and Tamil/ Telugu movies on its new service. “To convert a channel into an HDTV channel costs nearly Rs 1.5 crore, so it is too expensive all channels on air to HDTV. We had to get an additional transponder to cater to HDTV,” added D’Silva. Sun Direct is controlled by the Maran family, which runs television broadcaster Sun TV Network Ltd., with an 80% stake, while Malaysia’s Astro Group holds the rest.

Govt gets tough on DD carriage by MSOs & DTH services

From http://www.indiantelevision.com/headlines/y2k9/dec/dec147.php

NEW DELHI: Indian Cable TV MSOs operators had better
watch out. The Government has once again reminded all state
governments and union territories to ensure strict compliance with its mandate for carrying Doordarshan and Parliament channels on cable TV networks and DTH services.

Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting C M Jatua told Parliament today that a fresh letter was sent to all states and UTs on 8 December in view of complaints of non-carriage by some DTH and cable TV operators.

The Ministry said compliance should be ensured through authorized officers such as the sub-divisional magistrates, district magistrates, or commissioners of police who responsible for implementation of the Cable TV Networks (Regulation) Act 1995.

Instructions have also been issued on 14 October to all DTH service providers in this regard, he said.

Meanwhile, the minister said that the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India is carrying out a de novo tariff exercise for cable TV services in non-CAS areas according to a Supreme Court order of May 2009.

While TRAI has not issued any subscription rates for DTH services, the Minister said the regulator had issued a consultation paper in March this year which tariff at the subscriber end is one of the issues.

From http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2009-12/12/content_12634414.htm

JAKARTA, Dec. 12 (Xinhua) -- Indonesia's National Flight and Space Agency (LAPAN) will help launching program of communication satellite to support long distance education held by the Ministry for the National Education, Kompas daily quoted an official as saying on Saturday.

The satellite named after the country's prominent education hero Ki Hajar Dewantara will be connected to 50,000 points (schools).

The agency's head Adi Sadewo Salatun said on Friday that "tele-education satellite" will refer to concept implemented by many countries like India, China and Nigeria.

The Ki Hajar Dewantara Satellite Program will be prepared in three years, starting from system engineering, tele-education infrastructure preparation to the satellite launch and operation.

Currently, the program is still in feasible study phase, which is expected to take six months.

The satellite operation is expected to help solving problem of the lack of skilled educators and experts in remote areas, Adi said.

The infrastructure could provide knowledge dissemination to villages about health, cleanliness and personal development as well as to help professionals in increasing their knowledge.

The ministry allocated 200 million U.S. dollars for the program preparation to the satellite launch.

The tele-education satellite weighted 820 kg will be launched at the geo-stationer orbit or at height of 36,000 km. The equipment will be loaded with 12 transponders, consisting of education, telemedicine, defense and back-up ones.

With Astro's unveiling of the HD-enabling B.yond services this morning, a lot of Malaysians might be jumping for joy at the thought of watching Didier Drogba or Jessica Alba in full High Definition (HD). Imagine that — the FIFA World Cup 2010 or Into the Blue in HD! However, though is the catchphrase of the moment, and a major thrust in Astro's latest offering, it is not the full story.

"Astro B.yond is more than just HD," said Astro chief operating officer Henry Tan, in an interview. "Astro B.yond is a multi-phased innovative service starting with the first ever HD broadcast in Malaysia. The Astro B.yond box comes with an improved Electronic Programming Guide (EPG) and soon-to-be-introduced services including video recording – either through an external hard drive or a built-in Digital Video Recording (DVR) and IPTV connectivity."

Well, Astro Max decoder owners, hold on to your boxes. Astro B.yond box is not yet capable of recording your favourite shows, and IPTV is set to roll only at the end of the first quarter of 2010. However, sources in Astro said the B.yond box will be able to do all this very soon.

"If customers are still keen to upgrade to Astro B.yond Box without the recording function, we will be more than happy to process their request," said Tan.

The 'improvements' don't look to be very long in the offing. Astro appears to spare no quarter in this endeavour.

According to Tan, the roll-out of the services is estimated to cost some RM200 million, including marketing and operating costs of approximately RM150 million over the next financial year.

Well, Astro reportedly recorded revenue of RM864 million for the quarter ended Oct 31, with a net profit of RM133 million, so it seems like a solid investment for the future. The huge numbers quoted by Tan is perhaps
understandable. HD doesn't just end with a box, or an HD-ready set.

The end-to-end delivery of broad B.yond Definition cast will change every process – from the behind-the-scenes production to post-production editing, broadcast facilities, up to the HDTV home experience.

Looking backstage, the requirements from broadcasting have become a learning curve for the production crew and studio operators around the world. Make-up artists had to reinvent their work as the application of cosmetic products is easily visible in HD. The sharper image quality reveals the layers of make-up applied on an actor/actresses’ complexion. As a result, a host of cosmetics companies such as MAC and Makeup Forever have introduced products specifically for HD.

Production houses had to adapt as well, with the call for newer investments in cameras, video recording equipment, and lighting. The myth of HD being too expensive and difficult to do is no longer the case, as manufacturers have made significant price slashes to make way for demand. A recent report by Adobe shared that an entry-level editing system, including storage, software, and camera, goes for under US$10,000 (RM 34,017.16). In comparison, traditional equipment may go for several times that amount, or more.

Even the international news room studios are making the giant leap to recording.

UK’s Sky News, for example, will be launching an version of their news channel, to be broadcast alongside the current version from early 2010. In America, the big networks, like Fox, already broadcast some of their news in HD.

The involvement of HD at every stage from production to the delivery illustrates the groundbreaking phenomenon of "Today, much of the content available is not in HD format. In the Asia Pacific, pay-TV operators in Australia, HK and Singapore offer a limited number of channels.

We estimate that 10% of our channel line-up will be dedicated to HD over the next 18-24 months but the percentage will grow when there is more content out there."

Tan estimates that 20 per cent of customers will be ready to take up the service within 18-24 months. Existing Astro subscribers can finally join the HD revolution with just RM20 a month, on top of their normal payments to Astro. Subscribing to the HD package, they can exchange their old set-top boxes for the snazzy new ones as well as get the additional five-channel package (HBO HD, Astro Supersports HD, National Geographic HD, History Channel and ESPN HD next January). They will also get a new smart card, outdoor unit dish, Multimedia Interface (HDMI) cable and a new remote control.

In fact, even if you don't have an HDTV, you can still perhaps enjoy better picture quality from the HD broadcast.

"But it's not going to be HD," said Tan.

With Astro, they are even using a new satellite to transmit the signals. Does this mean the signal will be stronger than what we currently have? No more, 'service currently not available?'

"Astro B.yond's HD transmission is from a separate satellite which operates from a high frequency band," said Tan. "Currently the existing dish is only able to receive from a low frequency band. Hence, re-cabling of the infrastructure including installing a new dish is needed to receive transmission.

Please note that the reception quality of any transmission via satellite is subject to weather conditions."

Ah, well. We shall see whether Astro B.yond can not only deliver a whole new entertainment experience, but also improve on the shortcomings of the past.

Astro eyes one million users for HD service

From http://biz.thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2009/12/12/business/5289339&sec=business

Pay-TV operator targets Astro B.yond at 30% of existing customers.

KUALA LUMPUR: Pay-TV operator Astro All Asia Networks plc is targeting one million household subscribers for its newly-launched Astro B.yond, a multi-phased innovative service, starting with the country’s first high-definition (HD) broadcast.

“Our target is 30% of our customer base, which is expected to reach three million by year-end.

“We should be able to secure at least half of the one million in the next 12 to 18 months,” said Astro TV chief executive officer Datuk Rohana Rozhan after the launch of Astro B.yond yesterday.

At 48% penetration of Malaysian TV homes, Astro is currently streaming to 2.875 million homes.

Rohana said about 1.2 million of Astro’s customers were HD-ready, adding that according to an industry report, 59% of all televisions sold in the first half of this year were HD-ready and sales in this segment were growing.

“All data indicate that Astro’s introduction of HD service comes at an opportune time and the market is ready for HD content,” she said.

Rohana said the investment in HD broadcast technology and related services would fall under the company’s capital expenditure (capex) and operating expenditure (opex).

“Our capex and opex for the financial year ending Jan 31, 2010 (FY10) are RM100mil each while RM200mil and RM150mil have been allocated for capex and opex respectively in FY11,” she said.

She added that the capex and opex would come from the company’s internal fund.

On Astro B.yond, Rohana said it offered customers more innovative services which would be introduced in phases. Customers can sign up for Astro B.yond and access to HD services for an additional RM20 per month for a 12-month period. They will receive a new B.yond box, new smart card, new outdoor dish, HD multimedia interface cable and new remote control.

New set-up installation fee will be waived in exchange for the existing box.

From http://www.spacenews.com/satellite_telecom/091211-court-rejects-ses-protostar-preauction-arrangement.html

PARIS — The U.S. bankruptcy court handling the sale of satellite operator ProtoStar Ltd.’s assets on Dec. 10 rejected a proposed deal between ProtoStar and prospective buyer SES, clearing the way for a wide-open Dec. 16 auction of the in-orbit ProtoStar 2 telecommunications satellite.

SES is likely to confront at least one other serious bidder at the auction — Asiasat of Hong Kong — and may also face a bid from satellite fleet operator Intelsat, industry officials said.

The Delaware Bankruptcy Court refused to accept ProtoStar’s proposed arrangement with SES under which SES agreed, in advance of the auction, to pay $185 million in cash for ProtoStar 2 on condition that it receive $6.3 million in compensation in the event it was outbid. That meant SES was assured of taking ownership of ProtoStar 2 unless another bidder was willing to pay more than $191.3 million for the satellite.

Industry officials said the decision means ProtoStar 2 ultimately could sell for less than $185 million, depending on how badly Asiasat wants the spacecraft, a Boeing 601HP model launched in May and stationed at 107.7 degrees east longitude in geostationary orbit. It carries 27 Ku-band transponders and 13 S-band transponders. The S-band capacity is leased to Indostar and Indovision of Indonesia.

SES and Asiasat both have orbital slots nearby and could move ProtoStar 2 to these positions without losing the Indonesian S-band business.

Washington- and Bermuda-based Intelsat does not have an active orbital position in the neighborhood, but its representatives nonetheless have been active in the ProtoStar 2 preauction proceedings and attended the Dec. 10 hearing as well, according to bankruptcy court records of the meeting.

Aside from SES, Asiasat and Intelsat, no other satellite operators or prospective buyers appeared at the court hearing, according to the list of attendees. Officials from all three companies declined Dec. 11 to discuss their strategies for ProtoStar 2.

Intelsat won the ProtoStar 1 satellite at auction in late October, paying $210 million in cash. Intelsat plans to move the satellite, now called Intelsat 25, to 31.5 degrees west, where its C-band payload will provide communications links between Africa and the United States. The Ku-band payload will be used for a beam over West Africa, according to Intelsat.

SARFT to limit airtime of TV series on satellite channels

From http://tmt.interfaxchina.com/news/2430

Shanghai. December 14. INTERFAX-CHINA - China's State Administration of Radio, Film and Television (SARFT) will restrict the airing of TV series on provincial satellite channels, effective from Jan. 1, 2010, SARFT officials said on Dec. 11.

"The broadcast of television series, which include soap operas and sitcoms, will be limited to under 40 percent of total daily air time," Li Jinsheng, the director of SARFT's TV series administration department, said during an industry forum on Dec. 11.

According to Li, 45 percent of the six hours designated as prime time between 6 p.m. and 12 a.m. nightly will be allocated to the broadcast of such series, with the remainder of daily programming schedules to be supplemented by a larger proportion of news programs.

Hu Zhanfan, SARFT's deputy director, said that SARFT will also restrict the number of episodes aired within a certain series. "TV series consisting of over 30 episodes may face challenges in being picked up for broadcast on provincial channels," he said.

Russia to launch three GLONASS satellites today

From http://www.brahmand.com/news/storydetails.php?nid=2702&page=3&newsheadid=13

BAIKONUR (BNS): Russia will launch three GLONASS navigation satellites from the Baikonur Space Centre in Kazakhstan on Monday, the federal space agency has announced.

The satellites, to be carried on board a Proton-M rocket, are scheduled to be launched at 13.38 Moscow time, Roscosmos said.

The space agency had targeted to put in orbit a total of six GLONASS satellites by the end of this year.

However, the launch has been rescheduled for February 2010 when the other three satellites would be placed in orbit, thereby completing the GLONASS grouping of 24 satellites required for worldwide navigation services.

The Global Navigation Satellite System (GLONASS) is an alternative and complementary system to the US’ Global Positioning System, China’s Compass navigation system, and the planned Galileo positioning system of the European Union.

Designed for both military and civilian purposes, GLONASS enables its users to determine their positions within a few meters.

The system requires 18 satellites for continuous navigation services covering the entire Russian Federation, and 24 satellites to provide services across the globe.

Terror on TV.

From http://liveshots.blogs.foxnews.com/2009/12/11/terror-on-tv/?test=latestnews

Satellite operators who provide service to Middle Eastern channels which knowingly allow anti-American incitement on their airwaves better watch out. A new bill which targets Hezbollah, Hamas and other terrorist run television stations was overwhelmingly passed by the U.S. House of Representatives this week.

Authored by Florida Republican Congressman Gus Bilirakis, the bill seeks to designate satellite operators who provide service to stations with terrorist links and make them "Specially Designated Global Terrorists". It also calls on the President to annually report to Congress on anti-U.S. incitement to violence in the region and create a list of nations where such anti-American incitement to violence exists.

Rep. Bilirakis, who was joined by fellow Florida Republican Ileana Ros-Lehtinen and New York Democrat Joseph Crowley as co-sponsors of the bill, told fellow legislators that "Instead of denouncing such incitement, many countries in the region effectively provide financial, material or technological support to the purveyors of incitement."

Of the three House members who voted against the measure Texas Democrat Eddie Bernice Johnson said in a statement to Fox News that the bill was "toothless".

The three channels that the bill singles out are Hezbollah's Al Manar TV, Hamas's Al Aqsa TV and the Iraqi channel Al-Rafidein. According to Bilirakis Al Manar showed dozens of clips of insurgents bombing U.S. and coalition targets while Al Aqsa TV showed a child puppet stabbing former President George W. Bush to death. Al-Rafidein is accused of praising the actions of Iraqi insurgents while repeatedly preaching death to America.

Some of the satellite providers in question are the Egyptian government owned NileSat and Arabsat which is funded by the Arab League, neither responded to my questions as to whether or not they would take notice of the new bill.

The bill's backers must now find a sponsor in the Senate and hope that a vote will occur sometime in 2010.

Space Debris Remediation Seen As A New Business Area

From http://www.spacemart.com/reports/Space_Debris_Remediation_Seen_As_A_New_Business_Area_999.html

Since the Iridium/Cosmos incident the Space Surveillance Network has expanded its conjunction predictions to cover 800 operating satellites, up from 300. The number of worrisome daily conjunctions has jumped from about 5 per day to about 75 per day, indicating that there are many more conjunction events than are being tracked. The big question that went unanswered is: Who will pay for the clean up?

Last week NASA and DARPA sponsored the first-ever International Conference on Orbital Debris Removal. This was a completely unrestricted and open two-and-one-half intense days of "trash talk" about the nature of space debris, possible approaches to a solution and legal aspects.

Roughly 275 people registered for this landmark event. The room was full, and it stayed full throughout the conference. All elements of the space community were represented, including several foreign nationals, the insurance industry, policy gurus, program management types and even a large number of technical geeks. Overall, it was impressive and well done.

A few key enlightenments came out of the presentations and discussions. Space trash is here to stay. Even if we stopped flying anything into orbit, the debris population would continue to propagate and collisions would increase indefinitely.

Since the Iridium/Cosmos incident the Space Surveillance Network has expanded its conjunction predictions to cover 800 operating satellites, up from 300. The number of worrisome daily conjunctions has jumped from about 5 per day to about 75 per day, indicating that there are many more conjunction events than are being tracked. The big question that went unanswered is: Who will pay for the clean up?

Nobody knows at this point, and probably will not know or some time. Several suggestions were made, including the establishment of an international regulatory body with some remedial powers.

This is going to be a "tough sell" to many countries, because there appears to be a great deal of denial regarding the severity of the situation and a number of downright refusals to participate.

Nevertheless, stay tuned. Undoubtedly, the debate will continue over the next decade with little resolution. There seems to be only one thing that will accelerate a solution: another catastrophic satellite/satellite collision.

In the meantime, a good deal of technology and systems concepts will be focused on a problem that may not get a real solution for some time.

New pay-TV does R120m marketing

From http://www.timeslive.co.za/business/article230436.ece

The second broadcaster to enter the local pay-TV market, On Digital Media (ODM), has hired advertising agency Net#work BBDO of Cape Town to market it with a budget of R120-million.

ODM, which is positioning itself as a viable alternative to satellite broadcaster Multichoice DStv, is hoping to win close to four million "untapped" potential subscribers ahead of its launch early next year.

ODM chief executive Vino Govender said it was high time for an alternative pay-TV channel in the country.

"The challenge of launching an alternative pay-TV option against a formidable competitor who has a monopoly is daunting and exciting, but long overdue," Govender said.

"At last, in line with the government directive to introduce competition, ODM will offer the South African public a more affordable option," he added.

The company said it had identified about 3.8 million potential customers who would be able to afford its "new tailor-made packages and highly competitive decoder prices".

The company will release its full channel offering and price structure next year.

Chief marketing officer Eloise Kelly said ODM had spent a lot of time getting equipment and satellites aligned, putting content deals together and going around the world looking for channels that would appeal to viewers.

"It's no mean feat putting together a viable pay-TV platform - quite frankly, there is a lot that needs to happen. We are almost there."

Eric D'Oliveria, managing director of Net#work BBDO in Cape Town, said the ODM account was his company's "largest win in the Cape for years", and a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that would require a lot of creativity to quickly establish the brand and give people reasons to buy it.

"There has been mountains of thinking and work done and we are confident that the launch campaign will immediately position ODM as a viable alternative in the pay-TV category," D'Oliveria added.

"We are going to be using all of the communication channels and media platforms in launching the brand. The creative (campaign) will be deployed in digital, above the line, below the line, through the line, in activation, in outdoor channels - across all media platforms."

But while one battle may have been lost, the war goes on, said Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA) information communication technology (ICT) adviser on Internet security Nick Truman.

He said authorities were "pretty much where we were", with no headway in blocking illegal Dreambox pirate TV services.

The TRA launched a crackdown on October 16, by instructing the country's 17 Internet service providers (ISPs) to block internet protocol (IP) addresses through which legitimate satellite broadcasts are pirated.

But this created a cat-and-mouse game, with illegal providers repeatedly switching IP addresses to get round the blocks.

"Blocking alone will never work simply because of the nature of information technology," said Mr Truman.

"There are several other alternatives, some of them are not viable while some are extremely expensive to implement."

Mr Truman was speaking at the TRA headquarters in Seef on the sidelines of a Press conference to announce the Gulf's first Internet Child Safety Conference, to be held on January 18, 19 and 20.

"We will, however, keep blocking and keep up the efforts, in adherence to Culture and Information Ministry directives," he said.

"Another alternative is technology that is rather intrusive and very expensive. We cannot get the ISP's to implement it because of the cost involved."

He said perhaps the best way was to get satellite service providers to better encrypt their smart cards and to gradually get away from the Internet.

"That is again a very tedious process, which we are hoping to get the ISP's to work out," said Mr Truman.

He said the TRA had already blocked "hundreds" of IP addresses in the hope of curbing the menace.

"However, we are aware none of that has worked. It is an ongoing process," said Mr Truman.

The TRA admitted in October that technical difficulties had prevented it from fully implementing a crackdown on these providers.

Many Dreambox users were still connected, TRA communications and consumer affairs director Basil Al Arrayed admitted at the time.

Pornography

But he vowed the watchdog would not stop until rouge operators, who offer pornography and other paid television channels to subscribers at cut-price rates, were blocked.

The Dreambox system relies on the user linking the receiver to an Internet connection, which it uses to download codes to unscramble satellite signals.

If the system is prevented from accessing websites that provide the necessary codes, the receiver will not be able to unscramble or display the channel.

However, Dreambox providers say a tweak of the receiver's software is enough to get round the block and most were back online within days.

A TRA statement said earlier that the crackdown aimed to stop access to pornographic channels that breach public morality laws.

It said licensed operators were obliged to comply with Bahrain's rules and regulations along with the Telecommunications Law.

The satellite channels have not been paid for by the people running the illegal servers or the people using the Dreamboxes, so access to the channels is considered illegal.

The TRA said Bahrain was determined to enforce copyright laws to protect the work of artists, film and programme makers.

If more people transferred to legitimate satellite providers, prices would come down and more channels would be on offer, the TRA said earlier.

Sri Adhikari Bros plans to launch regional channels

From http://www.indiantelevision.com/headlines/y2k9/dec/dec139.php

MUMBAI: Sri Adhikari Brothers Television Network Ltd is planning to launch regional entertainment channels for which it is looking at raising up to Rs 1 billion.

The company has also approved the offering and issue of up to 2.92 million warrants, carrying an option /entitlement to subscribe equivalent number of equity shares of Rs 10 each for preferential issues, to the promoter group.

This will help the promoters to finance the initial funding requirement of wholly owned subsidiaries for launch of channels and for general corporate purposes.

Meanwhile, the board has given the nod to hike its authorized share capital from Rs 200 million to Rs 300 million.

The company launched Hindi views channel Janmat, which was later changed into Hindi news channel Live India. It also entered into the Marathi entertainment arena with Mi Marathi.

From http://www.smh.com.au/business/satellites-idea-floated-for-new-network-20091210-kma6.html

THE man whose task is to build the $43 billion national broadband network has suggested the Government could spend up to $1 billion on two satellites to help connect remote communities to the planned fibre system.

About 10 per cent of premises across the country will be too far out of reach of the physical network, so satellite coverage would be the most practical way to connect them, Mike Quigley indicated to a conference in Sydney yesterday.

Optus is the only Australian company that already has satellites, but they are not suitable for use by the national broadband network. Optus has been in talks with the NBN Co about the possibility of launching more satellites, and Mr Quigley's emissaries are also believed to have spoken to companies that already buy satellite capacity, but are considering launching their own satellites.

A company called NewSat

said in September that it hoped to launch its own satellite, Jabiru, by mid-2012, and that it would

cost between $300 million and $500 million.

The chief executive of NewSat, Adrian Ballantine, said at the time that governments worldwide had part-funded satellite launches by private companies.

The comments by Mr Quigley, who is NBN Co's chief executive, came as the Communications Minister, Stephen Conroy, said legislation designed to dismember Telstra could be amended in its favour if progress was made in talks between it and NBN Co.

''Obviously if discussions with Telstra progress and we reach the agreement that we hope we're going to reach, you know, and those discussions continue to be constructive, then there could be changes. But at this stage the legislation is intended to be brought back and discussed, and I think if you look at comments from Barnaby Joyce and the National Party they still remain very committed to passing that legislation.''

Telstra said when the legislation was proposed that it could not then recommend to its shareholders any deal with the Government, because the legislation gave Senator Conroy the discretionary power to strip Telstra of its share in Foxtel and its high-speed cable network if it refused to structurally separate.

Mr Quigley also talked yesterday about the architecture of the network and confirmed that it would extend from the users' premises back to the first point of competition. This means that if Telstra is the only provider of fibre at some stage in the network, NBN Co would either have to duplicate the fibre at that stage or buy or lease Telstra's fibre.

Two Way Limited Claims Another Record Month for its Interactive TV Wagering Service

From http://www.itvt.com/story/6216/two-way-limited-claims-another-record-month-its-interactive-tv-wagering-service

Australian interactive TV company, Two Way Limited, said Wednesday that Tab Active--the interactive TV wagering service which it developed in partnership with Tabcorp Holdings and Foxtel, and which is available to Foxtel and Optus TV subscribers in Sydney and Melbourne--enjoyed another record performance in November (note: the company made a similar announcement last month--see the article published on itvt.com, November 4th).

According to Two Way Limited, turnover through the service once again exceeded $6 million for the month--though was down slightly from October's record result. However, the company says, since November was a shorter month than October--with one less Saturday (Saturday, of course, typically being a strong day for wagering services), the average turnover per day for November was a record high of over $200,000. In addition, it claims, a record number of 7,500 Tabcorp account holders placed at least one bet via the service during the month, with an average bet size of $9.62 (up a penny from last month).

Two Way Limited says that, since launch, over 19,000 Tabcorp account holders have placed at least one bet via Tab Active, that the total number of bets placed exceeds 6.1 million, and that the total amount wagered exceeds $53 million.

Dish reaches 14m

From http://www.advanced-television.com/2009/dec7_dec11.htm#f6

Dish Network has recently passed the 14 million customer milestone. This achievement follows Dish Network's third quarter in which it added more net subscribers than any company in the multichannel video distribution business.

"Surpassing 14 million subscribers is testimony to the strides we made over the past year in providing a best-in-class video experience," said Charlie Ergen, Chairman, President and CEO of Dish Network. "We have more high definition channels than any other TV provider, we feature award-winning DVR technology, and we do it all at the most economical prices in the business."

Dish Network offers more than 150 national HD channels, local HD channels in 152 markets, and top-rated 1080p technology that provides the best picture available.

Sun mulls entry into distribution of TV channels biz

From http://www.indiantelevision.com/headlines/y2k9/dec/dec114.php

MUMBAI: Kalanithi Maran-owned Sun TV Group is planning to enter into the distribution of television channels business along the lines of Star Den, Zee Turner and MSM Discovery.

The idea is to assemble together a whole host of channels and create a bouqet for distribution in cable, DTH and other delivery platforms.

"There is no final decision yet but Sun is contemplating creation of a bouquet that would include distribution of third-party channels," says an industry source.

Sun officials, however, were not willing to comment on the issue.

While Sun has a formidable bouquet of 20 south-language channels, the presence in the other parts of the country would be fortified with the addition of third-party channels. A wider bouquet of channels comprising Hindi, English and possibly sports content would help in particularly exploiting pay revenues from DTH.

Even in the four south Indian states, an expansive bouquet would shore up subscription revenues. Besides, carriage and placement of channels would be smoother to some extent.

"It would be a wonderful move if Sun decides to create a distribution platform that would include other broadcasters. There is a business opportunity in this," says a media analyst.

There are several channels such as Sahara that would like to be aligned. "However, the power of the bouquet will depend on what channels join. In Hindi or English content, the stronger channels are already aligned," says the head of a distribution company on request of anonymity.

NBN Co executive chairman, Mike Quigley, has once again raised the possibility of new satellites being launched to deliver the NBN to the last few percent of Australians beyond the reach of either the FTTP or terrestrial wireless networks.

He told the Government's "Realising our broadband future" forum in Sydney today that: "Given the size and demographics of Australia we will need to use satellites to reach the last several percent of the population. This is the only economic way of doing it.

"We believe this will likely be done with a couple of new Ka band Satellites. Current satellite designs are available that can provide capacities of close to 100Gbps. We are still doing the traffic dimensioning and costing on the fibre, wireless and satellite solutions and the outcome of these calculations will inform our choices of where the technology boundaries will lie."

In an earlier briefing Quigley had flagged the possibility of NBN Co commissioning and operating its own satellite and aquiring an orbital location into which to launch it, but when admitted that the NBN Co owning its own satellite was not a decision that would be taken lightly, saying..."There are long lead times and big costs associated with satellite services...Three years lead time and somewhere between half a billion and 800 million [dollars] in terms of putting a platform up."

However one Australian company stands ready to provide such satellites. NewSat with its Jabiru project, announced in 2007 and now well behind its initial schedule but nevertheless still very much alive, according to the latest information form NewSat.

In its AGM presentation last month the company said: "Jabiru will unlock bandwidth capacity and satellite coverage that is unavailable today. It will provide our clients with access to greater Ka, C and possibly Ku band coverage. Jabiru will become a wholesaler of satellite transponder capacity...We are delighted to advise, that the current programme to reach these goals is progressing and is on target to be a commercial reality in the not too distant future."

TVNZ to lose public service role in shakeup

From http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10614515&pnum=0

Critics of the move to repeal TVNZ's charter say the broadcaster will become a Government 'cash cow'.

TVNZ's charter is to be repealed in a move commentators say will end its public broadcaster role and turn it into a "cash cow" for the Government.

Broadcasting Minister Jonathan Coleman introduced a bill yesterday to repeal the charter, which was created by Labour in 2002 to require TVNZ to broadcast a wide range of programmes for all groups in New Zealand.

Under the charter TVNZ was required to have a "significant Maori voice" and broadcast programmes for people and groups not generally catered for by other broadcasters.

Under Mr Coleman's bill, it will be told simply to screen programmes relevant to and enjoyed by New Zealanders, include some local content and "reflect Maori perspectives".

The head of the Broadcasting School at Christchurch Polytechnic, Paul Norris, said the change effectively gave TVNZ the go-ahead to act as a fully commercial broadcaster, screening the most commercial programmes it could find.

"I don't think there's much public broadcasting ethos left. It's reduced it to practically nothing. The only hint of deviation from a pure commercial broadcaster is that reference to 'Maori perspectives'. Otherwise, they're just being asked to do what any commercial broadcaster would do."

The charter was criticised by some for giving TVNZ an impossible task in meeting dual obligations of a strong commercial performance as well as public broadcasting requirements. The broadcaster has previously been criticised for its use of charter money when it revealed it had used some of it for Dancing with the Stars - a high-rating programme.

However, Labour's broadcasting spokesman Brendon Burns said the change stripped TVNZ back to a mere "cash cow" for the Government, who would expect higher dividends by relieving TVNZ of charter obligations. "The dual mandate has its difficulties ... but certainly the charter was a mechanism to encourage the state broadcaster to regard itself as something more than a cash cow for the Government. Now it's been reduced to that single [commercial] focus."

Dr Norris said there was no longer any requirement for programmes that educated, local drama, documentaries or minority interest programmes in the schedule. Programmes such as Tagata Pasifika and other special interest shows that were screened under the charter provisions were at particular risk.

There was also no mention of a minimum amount of local programming required and because local programmes were usually costly to produce compared with buying in international programmes, they would be in jeopardy.

* Viewing changes

Old rules

Charter: lengthy list including all genres of New Zealand programmes, a "significant Maori voice", arts and sports, programmes for a wide range of ages and interests, including those not generally catered for by other broadcasters, educational programmes and maintaining a code of ethics on children's advertising.

New rules

"Provide high-quality content that is relevant to and enjoyed and valued by New Zealand audiences and encompasses both New Zealand and international content and reflects Maori perspectives."

From http://www.nzherald.co.nz/technology/news/article.cfm?c_id=5&objectid=10614483&pnum=0

The corruption of copyright marched on last week.

There was more mouthing by Rupert Murdoch against Google and closer to home, a standoff involving television programme listings.

Hybrid Television is thinking it could flout Sky Television's copyright of Prime's programme listings by including them on its TiVo electronic programme guide.

The question at the heart of both disputes is how did copyright become so distorted that corporations now think they should be able to make money from signposts?

The programme listing fiasco is particularly ironic because state broadcaster TVNZ has been plundering from signposts for decades - charging newspapers and magazines for the right to run its listings.

Mad I know - but it's an aberration that TVNZ somehow enjoys because the print media hasn't been united enough to stand up to what can only be described as an entirely wasteful, unproductive rort.

All our other television stations provide their listings for free which various print media run as a service to readers. Think about it - listings are essentially advertising to get viewers.

These days listings in digital form fly through the air as part of the broadcast signal and are captured by software in digital video recorders which transform them into electronic programme guides.

Logically, this is service information which should be free to all viewers to help them make their viewing choices. But such is the distortion of copyright that broadcasters regard these listings as intellectual property that can only be provided to consumers if the broadcasters strike deals with one another to allow it.

Hence the standoff at present with both Prime and Maori TV refusing to OK the use of their listings on Hybrid Television's TiVo recorder.

The irony of it all is that Hybrid is a third-owned by TVNZ. Bizarrely, Hybrid is thinking the unthinkable - plucking listing data out of the free-to-air broadcast and using it in its electronic programme guide without Prime's or Maori TV's permission.

Go for it, I say and bring on the inevitable court case to show up the farce. Ditto for the print media. Stop paying hundreds of thousands of dollars a year to TVNZ for no good purpose and let the state-funded broadcaster bring the legal action.

There is similar nonsense going on in the Murdoch stoush with Google. The media baron's team have worked themselves up into quite a lather about sites that aggregate the news - at various times this year describing them as "content kleptomaniacs", "tech tapeworms in the intestines of the internet", "parasites,", "vampires" and "giant copyright scofflaws that steal the news".

As Arianna Huffington of the Huffington Post points out: "Of course, any site can shut down the indexing of its content by Google any time it wants with a simple 'disallow' in its robots.txt file." But why would you, don't you want more readers?

Copyright law has always allowed fair use quoting with attribution - the very essence of scholarship and academic endeavour which has been democratised for all time by the internet and the hyperlink.

But such is Murdoch's greed that he now wants to make the signposts pay.

Kiwiright documents last year's battle against section 92A - the guilt-upon-accusation clause - of our Copyright Amendment Act. It features Juha Saarinen, the journalist who in 2003 tracked down and exposed New Zealand spam king Shane Atkinson.

Saarinen notes a sinister connection between efforts to strengthen our copyright laws and the free trade agreement negotiations with America.

Not surprisingly it's happening again - secret dealings with Americans on the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA), just as we're reopening free trade talks with the United States. internetNZ senior research fellow Jonathon Penney writing in Computerworld points out ACTA is actually a new international copyright treaty.

But the bigger worry is that it's "a mass export of the American legislative model - a global version of the US's unpopular Digital Millennium Copyright Act".

Among ACTA's draconian proposals is a "notice and takedown" system where content must be removed by internet providers without proof of actual infringement; and a "three strikes" policy where three allegations of copyright infringement would lead to mandatory internet account termination.

As Saarinen puts it: "Frisking the data streams of every single internet user regularly to see if any copyrighted material is in transit goes against the grain of any notion of freedom of thought and speech and existing laws, but that could be the reality."

Hughes, Sky Perfect JSAT Expand Broadband Services over Afghanistan

From http://www.satprnews.com/2009/12/09/hughes-sky-perfect-jsat-expand-broadband-services-over-afghanistan/

Hughes and Sky Perfect JSAT are providing capacity to expand satellite broadband services over Afghanistan to support increased demand in the region, the companies announced.

Hughes Network Systems is delivering expanded broadband Internet services to U.S. military personnel serving in Afghanistan and Iraq via the company’s new operations hub in Dubai. The service aims to enable military personnel to stay in touch with family and friends at home, including sending photos and videos, connecting over social networking sites and making Voice-over-IP telephone calls.
Sky Perfect JSAT also is supporting an expansion of broadband services in the region by providing Hawaii Pacific Teleport with additional capacity on the JCSAT 3A satellite, located at 128 degrees East.

Hawaii Pacific Teleport will use the capacity to power Afghanistan Satellite, a one-hop C-band service which will cover all of Afghanistan and adjoining countries and provide two-way communications in excess of 2 megabits on small antennas with a 2.4-meter diameter

China launches 'Yaogan VII' remote-sensing satellite

From http://www.globaltimes.cn/www/english/sci-edu/china/2009-12/490958.html

The satellite was successfully launched into the space on a Long March 2D carrier rocket at 4:42 p.m., the center reported.

It will be mainly used for scientific experiment, land resources survey, crop yield estimates and disaster prevention and reduction, according to the center.

The satellite was developed by the China Academy of Space Technology under the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corp. The rocket was designed by the Shanghai Academy of Spaceflight Technology, also under the corporation.

The flight was the 120th of the Long March series of carrier rockets.

The satellite's predecessor, "Yaogan VI," was launched in April, from the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center in northern Shanxi Province.

"Yaogan V" was launched last December, also from Taiyuan.

"Yaogan IV" was also launched last December from Jiuquan and "Yaogan III" from Taiyuan in November 2007.

"Yaogan I" and "Yaogan II" satellites were launched in April 2006 and May 2007, respectively.

CASBAA ,APMI to organise seminar on Broadcast Content

From http://www.medianewsline.com/news/146/ARTICLE/5491/2009-12-09.html

Hong Kong : Indonesian government agencies, the pay-TV industry organisation Asosiasi Penyelenggara Multimedia Indonesia (APMI) and the Cable & Satellite Broadcasting Association of Asia (CASBAA) will gather next Monday December 14th at the Gran Melia Hotel in Jakarta, Indonesia for the “Protection of Broadcast Content: An Indonesian Seminar”.

The one-day seminar will focus on critical issues such as “Why protect broadcast content”; “How premium content is the basis for a modern pay-TV industry” and “How technology makes it possible to protect broadcast content”.

“Content is always the key driver for channels and broadcasters to attract audience and advertisers. We should respect content copyright and protect the interests of content owners and distributors in order to promote a healthy environment for the industry,” said Simon Twiston Davies, CEO of CASBAA.

The event kicks off with welcome remarks from a representative of the Minister for Justice and Human Rights. Keynoted by Raditya Dika, a noted Indonesian author, screenwriter and comedian, other speakers include: Acting Director General for Information and Communications (Depkominfo), Bambang Subijantoro , Director of Copyright, Arry Ardanta Sigit , APMI Secretary-General, Arya Mahendra Sinulingga and President Director of Telkomvision, Elvizar KH.

CASBAA and its Indonesian partners have organised this seminar to link with a two-day international symposium on signal piracy being held in Jakarta by the APEC and ASEAN regional organisations and the US Patent and Trademark Office. CASBAA, with its Asian regional experience and connections, is acting as program consultant to the international organisations.

“Thanks to the support of the local and international government bodies, industry associations and all the speakers, these two Seminars next week will be a strong communication platform to examine the critical issues of broadcast content protection,” added Twiston Davies.

HDTV is a digital television broadcasting system with higher resolution than traditional television systems.

"Astro TV is now available to some 2.875 million residential subscribers who will be able to subscribe to its next generation of services, commencing with HDTV and high level interactivity and connectivity," she said.

"The roll out of these services is estimated to cost some RM200 million, including marketing and operating costs of approximately RM150 million, over the next financial year, ahead of revenue and earnings from these services," she said in a statement here on Wednesday.

Rohana said Astro TV will continue to focus on evolving content and technologies ahead of consumer trends, to lead by innovation in response to demanding and sophisticated customers.

Astro All Asia Networks today announced a higher pre-tax profit of RM195.689 million for the third quarter ended Oct 31, 2009 compared with a pre-tax loss of RM212.373 million in the same quarter last year.

Its revenue grew to RM863.487 million from RM744.541 million due to a strong growth reported by Astro TV.

"Astro TV delivered a strong set of results this quarter on the back of a price increase, the introduction of new packages, net subscriber growth of 94,000 and disciplined cost management," Rohana said.

The direct-to-home TV joint venture business in India, Sun Direct TV, reported strong subscriber growth with some 500,000 new customers activated for the quarter ended Oct 31, bringing the total to 4.0 million customers, she said.

It also announced an interim tax-exempt dividend of 2.5 sen per share for the third quarter, bringing total dividend to-date to 7.5 sen

Astro posts RM133mil Q3 profit from higher revenue

From http://biz.thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2009/12/10/business/5274531&sec=business

PETALING JAYA: Astro All Asia Networks plc has posted RM133mil in net profit for its third quarter ended Oct 31 against RM250mil net loss in the previous corresponding period.

In a statement yesterday, it said the net profit was primarily due to higher revenue as a result of strong growth reported by Astro TV, its Malaysian pay-TV business.

Revenue for the quarter was up 16% to RM864mil against RM745mil a year ago and 13% higher than the RM764mil reported in the preceding quarter.

Its earnings per share were 6.88 sen compared with a loss of 12.95 sen previously.

Group earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) jumped 48% to RM259mil from RM175mil in the second quarter, primarily due to revenue growth.

The company proposed a dividend of 2.5 sen per share, similar to the amount it declared for the previous corresponding period.

Astro TV delivered a strong set of results in the third quarter on the back of a price increase, the introduction of new packages, net subscriber growth of 94,000 and disciplined cost management.

For the nine months to Oct 31, it recorded a net profit of RM195.4mil compared with a net loss of RM500.3mil in the previous corresponding period, largely due to lower cost in relation to costs of cessation of the satellite direct-to-home (DTH) business proposal in Indonesia and expenses previously incurred in its development.

Revenue for the nine months rose 8.3% to RM2.379bil from RM2.197bil previously

Commenting on the results, chairman Datuk Badri Masri said it had been a very satisfactory performance with double-digit growth in group revenue and EBITDA and this reflected the strong fundamentals of its Malaysian pay-TV business.

“Our Malaysian radio business also maintained its leadership both in terms of share of advertising revenue and number of listeners in spite of the highly competitive market. We expect the Malaysian operations of the group to continue to grow for the rest of the year,” he said.

Astro TV chief executive officer Datuk Rohana Rozhan said Astro was now available to some 2.9 million residential subscribers who would be able to subscribe to its next generation of services, commencing with high definition (HD) TV and high level interactivity and connectivity, when these were launched on Dec 11.

The roll-out of these services was estimated to cost RM200mil, including marketing and operating costs of about RM150mil, over the next financial year, ahead of revenue and earnings from these services.

Meanwhile, B.K. SIDHU reports that Astro’s HD offering is set to thrust the broadcaster miles apart of competition.

It will launch its new generation of set-top boxes that will allow viewers to watch HD content in HD form. But since HD content is limited globally, some channels would still be in the current format at least for another year. For the viewer, a HDTV is necessary to view Astro HD programmes.

Launching its new set-top boxes is its first step as it will begin offering digital video recording capabilities next year. Also on the cards is IPTV (Internet protocol TV), Internet-based services and related offerings.

It is unclear if Astro will subsidise the set-top boxes as it has done in the past but given that Telekom Malaysia Bhd (TM) is hoping to launch its own IPTV by the end of March in selected areas, Astro may want to protect its turf.

It is unclear what content TM will provide and how it will package its IPTV and video-on-demand offering when it enters the world of broadcasting next year but its advantage is the high speed broadband, which will be its cable connectivity to millions of homes in the country.

From http://broadcastengineering.com/automation/msa-focus-delivers-broadcast-1209/

In a five-year project, MSA Focus has implemented its enterprise product ForeTV at Malaysian satellite broadcaster Astro. The broadcaster airs more than 130 channels in a number of languages from its headquarters in Kuala Lumpur.

ForeTV from MSA Focus provides a common, consistent user interface for all business functionality including advertising, subscriptions, program acquisition, ingest and scheduling — all working with playout automation and media management from Omnibus plus conditional access and electronic programming guide systems from NDS.

The ForeTV modular system also uses Microsoft SQL2008 for database access and Workflow Foundation and Web services to develop the user interface. When completed, the system at Astro will have 280 users, working in English, Malay, Chinese and Indian languages. Tailoring of the system for Astro has been undertaken by the MSA Focus development center in Malaysia as well as at its headquarters in the UK.

ForeTV is a comprehensive suite of applications, built on the Microsoft .NET framework, which gives a broadcaster a single point of control over all business functionalities

RSCC, the national satellite communications operator of Russia, has initiated distribution of the first multiplex programs over broadcasting zones A and B (Siberia and the Far East). The digital program package includes all-Russian public compulsory TV and radio communications channels approved by the Russian President's decree No. 715 of June 24, 2009.

According to the transmission scheme, the MPEG4 digital program package has been formed in the RSCC’ Shabolovka Technical Center and transmitted via terrestrial fiber optical communications lines into RSCC’ Satellite Communications Center “Bear Lakes” (Moscow Region). The first multiplex program package was then transmitted via Express-MD1 (80 degrees East) satellite into RSCC’ Satellite Communications Center “Khabarovsk” (Khabarovsk Region), from where it was uplinked to the Express-AM3 satellite (140 degrees East) and then distributed to broadcasting zones A and B (the Far East and Siberia).

New Satellite Will Connect Troops in Afghanistan

From http://www.satprnews.com/2009/12/09/ses-americom-new-skies-satellite-will-connect-troops-in-afghanistan/

Leveraging its global satellite fleet to meet growing requirement for connectivity everywhere, SES AMERICOM-NEW SKIES, a division of SES S.A. (Paris:SESG)(LUxX:SESG), informed at the CommunicAsia conference that IoGlobal has signed a multiyear agreement to create a new DVB IP platform on the NSS-11 satellite to keep NATO troops in Afghanistan connected with friends and family back home.

IoGlobal’s new Asia 9 platform on the China beam of SES AMERICOM-NEW SKIES’ NSS-11 satellite provides more than 70 Mbps of satellite-delivered streaming voice, data and video services to military forces stationed in and around Kabul, Afghanistan. The solution expands on the growing, long-term relationship between IoGlobal and SES AMERICOM-NEW SKIES across three satellites and delivers a broad offering of mission-critical satellite-based services ranging from broadband to video streaming into the South Asian region.

“This latest agreement between IoGlobal and SES AMERICOM-NEW SKIES reinforces our service commitment to the Middle East and regions around the world, as the two companies deliver multiple SCPC, VSAT and DVB service platforms over our NSS-703, NSS-6, and NSS-11 spacecraft,” said Deepak Mathur, Vice President of South Asia and the Middle East for SES AMERICOM-NEW SKIES. “IoGlobal and its team of dedicated professionals operate in extremely challenging environments and SES AMERICOM-NEW SKIES is proud to play an integral role in enabling IoGlobal to meet the vital communications needs of troops serving in Afghanistan.”

Third WGS Satellite Sends First Signals From Space

From http://www.spacewar.com/reports/Third_WGS_Satellite_Sends_First_Signals_From_Space_999.html

WGS is the Department of Defense's highest-capacity communications satellite system. The satellites are built on the proven Boeing 702 platform with 13 kilowatts of power.

Boeing has acquired the first on-orbit signals from the third of six Wideband Global SATCOM (WGS) satellites. The signals indicate that the spacecraft is healthy and ready to begin orbital maneuvers and operational testing. WGS is the latest U.S. Department of Defense satellite communications system.

A United Launch Alliance Delta IV rocket launched the WGS-3 satellite at 8:47 p.m. Eastern time on Dec. 5 from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. A ground station in Dongara, Australia, received the satellite's first signals 58 minutes later at 9:45 p.m. Eastern time. Boeing's Mission Control Center in El Segundo, Calif., confirmed that the satellite is functioning normally.

"This mission marks another important advancement in the communications capabilities that our advanced satellites provide to U.S. military personnel around the world," said Craig Cooning, vice president and general manager, Boeing Space and Intelligence Systems.

"The nation's warfighters rely on satellites like this one to help them execute difficult missions safely and effectively, and the Air Force-Boeing team is committed to coming through for them."

Following a series of orbital maneuvers and on-orbit tests over the West Coast of the United States, WGS-3 will be placed into geosynchronous Earth orbit over the Atlantic Ocean. The satellite joins WGS-1, which entered service over the Pacific Ocean in April 2008, and WGS-2, which began operations over the Middle East in August 2009.

The WGS-1 and WGS-2 satellites meet and, in some cases, exceed Air Force mission requirements. Together, the three WGS satellites will provide assured access to high-data-rate communications for U.S. forces and allies around the world.

WGS is the Department of Defense's highest-capacity communications satellite system. The satellites are built on the proven Boeing 702 platform with 13 kilowatts of power.

The payload provides reconfigurable coverage areas and the ability to connect X-band and Ka-band users anywhere within their field of view via an onboard digital channelizer - features not available on any other communications satellite.

Boeing is building three more WGS satellites for the Air Force with enhancements that include a radio frequency bypass designed to support airborne intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance platforms requiring additional bandwidth

Satellites four through six are planned for launch in 2011 and 2013.

NDTV To Sell Stake In Group Company To Turner Asia, Shares Rise

From http://online.wsj.com/article/BT-CO-20091208-702340.html

MUMBAI (Dow Jones)--India's New Delhi Television Ltd. (532529.BY) Tuesday said it signed a pact with Turner Asia Pacific Ventures Inc. to sell a stake in the NDTV Group's entertainment venture--NDTV Imagine Ltd.--for a total of $117 million, boosting the Indian broadcaster's shares.

The move would help the Indian broadcaster reduce its debt while helping NDTV Imagine compete in an intensely crowded Hindi language general entertainment channel market, say analysts.

Under the terms, NDTV will sell a 76% stake in NDTV Imagine Ltd.--which it held through its unit NDTV Networks PLC--for $67 million and issue fresh shares to Turner Asia worth $50 million, the Indian media company said in a statement to the Bombay Stock Exchange.

NDTV Networks will retain a 5% stake in the channel before the issue of fresh shares, NDTV said.

Shares in NDTV rose to an intraday high of INR172 on the news. At 0900 GMT, it pared some gains to be trading 3.2% higher at INR164.65, where the benchmark Sensex was 1.1% higher.

The deal is subject to an approval by the board of Time Warner Inc. (TWX)--the parent of Turner Asia--and other regulatory approvals, the notice added.

Including its flagship channel NDTV Imagine, NDTV Imagine Ltd. runs movie channel NDTV Lumiere, film, music and lifestyle channel Imagine Showbiz and NDTV Imagine Film Co., a film production and distribution company.

"Turner is looking to enter the Hindi general entertainment space for long-term benefits, given the potential of advertising revenue in the country," said Ritwik Ray, an analyst at Mumbai-based brokerage Man Financial.

He expects advertising revenue to grow, on average, 15% annually over the next five years.

NDTV is likely to use the funds to repay the more than "INR4 billion in debt on a consolidated basis" it has on its books, while for NDTV Imagine the deal means "much needed funds to beef up its content and distribution," said Ray.

The NDTV Imagine channel--with a market share of about 8%-9%--is lagging far behind leader Colors TV, which has a share of about 24%. It also trails Zee TV, Star TV and Sony in the hotly contested market, with the leaders gaining most of the share of the advertising revenue pie, say analysts.

From http://www.winghamchronicle.com.au/news/local/news/general/mount-george-to-receive-benefits-of-digital-tv/1699193.aspx

Mount George is expected to enjoy digital television from 2012.

Thanks to lobbying by member for Lyne Robert Oakeshott, the minister for telecommunications, Stephen Conroy, has confirmed that satellite reception for digital TV will be trialled in the Mildura region in January and, depending on its success, the same trial will be conducted at Mount George late 2012.

Therefore, the current analogue TV reception from the ‘black spot’ transmitters on Mount Ghanghat will need to be continued for the next three years.

The electricity for these transmitters costs the community almost $2000 per year, so the $50 payment from each household is essential to maintain the service.

Last year, only 13 households paid the $50, well short of the number which receive and watch free-to-air television transmitting from the mountain.

The yearly $50 is now due and can be paid at the Mount George General Store.

As a result of increased electricity costs, the fee for 2010 has been raised to $60 per household, to be collected early 2010

(Craig's comment, just a few weeks away)

IRB agrees to joint Rugby World Cup TV bid

From http://www.nzherald.co.nz/sport/news/article.cfm?c_id=4&objectid=10614204

The International Rugby Board (IRB) has agreed to a joint bid by New Zealand broadcasters to screen 2011 Rugby World Cup games.

Prime Minister John Key said minor details were being finalised.

"My understanding is the partners have now agreed and the IRB has essentially agreed. So we are just working through one or two final finishing touches and going from there," he told reporters this morning.

"For all intents and purposes New Zealanders will be able to see on a free to air basis those big matches including the All Blacks, the semis and finals and the opening ceremony."

Maori Television, TVNZ and TV3 put in a joint bid, backed by the Government, to cover all the World Cup free-to-air matches.

Before that happened, Maori Television put in a controversial bid of its own, backed with taxpayer funds, and would have ended up competing with TVNZ.

Those bids were withdrawn and replaced by the joint bid with the matches shared between the broadcasters.

Sky TV has the international rights to the World Cup

MEASAT Satellite Systems... Moving On Up...

From http://www.satnews.com/cgi-bin/story.cgi?number=717760818

MEASAT Satellite Systems Sdn. Bhd. has appointed Janice Boo as Director, Occasional Use and Broadcast Services. Prior to joining MEASAT, Janice held senior sales positions at Total Sports Asia Limited (“TSAL”) including, most recently, Sales Director of the Media Department. At TSAL she was responsible for the sales and marketing of the broadcast rights of various sports properties in Malaysia, Singapore, Hong Kong and Taiwan.

BBC Appoints Taiwan, China Distribution Head

From http://www.mediaresearchasia.com/view2.php?type=press&id=785

Singapore – BBC Worldwide Channels Asia today announced the appointment of Otto Leong, Director, Distribution and Business Development, as part of the pan-regional team responsible for the distribution of BBC Entertainment, BBC Knowledge, BBC Lifestyle, CBeebies and BBC World News in Taiwan and China.

Based in Hong Kong, Otto will also be responsible for driving revenue growth and developing strategic distribution initiatives for the two North Asian territories. The role will report into Mark Whitehead, SVP and GM of BBC Worldwide Channels Asia.

Commenting on Otto’s new role, Mark Whitehead said, “We are very excited to have Otto join BBC Worldwide Channels to make inroads into Taiwan and China. He brings a great depth of knowledge, experience and numerous personal relationships that will enable us to leapfrog into the next stage of growth for the channels business.”

Otto has over 20 years of experience in media and entertainment programme distribution. Prior to joining BBC Worldwide Channels Asia, Otto was in charge of all aspects of worldwide distribution for one of Hong Kong’s largest pay-TV services, i-Cable. He also set up a satellite channel for Taiwan and China, and has experience in all aspects of the TV business including marketing, sales, production and business development.

SES World Skies and SatLink expand collaboration

From http://www.advanced-television.com/2009/dec7_dec11.htm#t8

SatLink Communications Ltd. and SES World Skies have launched a new DS3 fibre link connecting their teleport facilities. The new link allows SatLink clients direct access to SES World Skies' US satellite fleet while also enabling SES World Skies to further expand the reach of its satellites covering Europe, Africa, Asia and the Middle East. This collaboration strengthens the two companies decade-long relationship and is expected to bring additional business opportunities to both companies.

SA viewers choose DStv over nonpay options

From http://www.businessday.co.za/articles/Content.aspx?id=88987

DSTV viewers have grown 33%, which translates to an impressive 1,129- million new viewers, pitching it for the first time against terrestrial channels SABC and e.tv, the latest Television Audience Measurement Survey (TAMS) has shown.

The South African Advertising Research Foundation’s TAMS data for January to June last year show that the shift to pay-TV is not limited to the upper-income groups.

It has been suggested that the increase in pay-TV viewers has a lot to do with a number of sporting events to which MultiChoice has the rights, including Premier Soccer League matches and the African Nations Cup, and an array of DStv packages.

The research found total adult TV viewers had increased 4%, or 837833, while nonpay-TV declined by 1%, losing more than 291000 viewers.

The foundation’s senior technical support executive, Claire Welch, said yesterday that the data showed a change in the viewing behaviour of South Africans.

“There is a clear shift towards DStv, whose adult viewers rose from 3,392- million to 4,522-million. If you look at TV viewing in total, the audience is quite stable, as are audience ratings…. Due to the huge move to DStv, however, there is an equal shift away from terrestrial TV. As a whole, terrestrial TV is now competing head to head with satellite.”

“DStv is no longer the exclusive preserve of the upper classes,” Welch said.

“More and more lower LSM households are moving to pay TV.”

The biggest loss in nonpay-TV viewership was in Gauteng, where 290000 adult viewers were lost. DStv, on the other hand, gained more than 422000 adult viewers.

ULA Marks Milestone With WGS-3 Launch

From http://www.officialwire.com/main.php?action=posted_news&rid=55541&catid=60

The United Launch Alliance announced a milestone achievement in Florida following its 36th successfully completed satellite launch.

ULA, formed from the Lockheed Martin-Boeing joint venture in 2006, launched its Delta IV rocket Saturday for the U.S. Air Force carrying a Wideband Global Satellite Communication technology.

The successful launch became the 36th successful mission in 36 months marking a milestone for ULA. The WGS-3 launch also marked the third installment of the SATCOM technology for the Air Force.

"This team of people, with their combined expertise, is the reason for this sustained mission success," Michael Gass, ULA president and chief executive officer, said in a statement.

"When we formed ULA in 2006, our primary mission was to the deliver the highest reliable products for assured access to space for our government and commercial customers. Launching successfully 36 times in our first 36 months of company history is a significant accomplishment as we celebrate our third anniversary."

From http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/arts/kids-party-as-abc3-television-turned-on/story-e6frg8n6-1225807137730

NOT since Paul Keating was mobbed by schoolchildren in 1996 has a prime minister been welcomed so adoringly by a group of kids.

As Kevin Rudd walked across the figure 3-shaped stage to flick the switch on the new children's channel, ABC3, little hands reached up to shake his hand.

The Prime Minister told them a little awkwardly that his favourite subject at school was drama, although he wasn't very good at it.

"You're going to see on ABC3 all these terrific new programs and it's going to be fantastic," he said. He then grabbed the oversized remote control and turned on the channel he promised in April and funded in the May budget to the tune of $67 million.

"Encouraging a child's imagination to roam and run free is part and parcel of creating a creative Australian," Mr Rudd said.

Surrounded by the ABC board and executive, the Prime Minister gave the strongest endorsement of public broadcasting anyone could remember hearing.

"This government passionately believes in public broadcasting," Mr Rudd said.

Regardless of the outcome of the "huge debate" over the future of the media, the importance of the ABC as a provider of a "common platform" would remain.

One executive said he hadn't heard a prime minister stand up for the ABC in such a public way in 20 years. Certainly Mr Rudd delivered the biggest injection of funds the ABC has seen -- a $167m package in the May budget -- since its incorporation in 1983.

ABC chairman Maurice Newman said it was fitting that funding for ABC3 was delivered in a federal budget "that was widely described as a nation-building budget, since the ABC has long played an important role in both creating and sustaining Australia's sense of itself as nation".

The channel will broadcast nationally from 6am to 9pm every day and is available to anyone with a digital TV, a set top box or Foxtel cable.

ABC3 will broadcast 50 per cent Australian content across all genres, including drama, animation and factual programming and will commission and acquire new material from the independent production sector.

It is hoped the channel will also provide additional incentive for families to convert their existing televisions to digital technology.

TV explosion that threatens the networks

From http://www.smh.com.au/national/tv-explosion-that-threatens-the-networks-20091204-kay5.html

Television broadcasters have been roused from their slumber by a flurry of innovations. But will technology save them or signal their end? Karl Quinn reports.

Yesterday, Australia got its newest free-to-air television station when Kevin Rudd flicked the switch on ABC3. The just-for-kids station will broadcast 15 hours a day,and brings to 12 the number of free-to-air channels Australians with a digital television or a digital set-top box can receive - a tripling of free viewing options since 1980, and a doubling since 2005. But it's just the beginning.

The TV broadcasting landscape is changing so quickly that predictions about what shape it will take are no longer flagged as coming soon but happening now.

This year alone, new station launches have included Ten's digital sports channel OneHD (March), SBS2 (June), Nine's digital spin-off Go! (August), Seven's 7Two (October), and now ABC3. Each network also carries a digital simulcast of its analogue transmission, meaning that there are, in effect, 17 free-to-air channels being broadcast (including the community TV channel, 31).

It also comes as Foxtel expands its pay TV service. In mid-November, it launched its ''next generation'' offering, with more high-definition channels, an increased number and range of pay-per-view movies, and the option to download programs to computers or mobile devices, legally.But perhaps the biggest drivers of change are two sides of the one coin: improvements in technology and the illegal downloading it has allowed.

Massively increased computing power, large, high-resolution monitors, and relatively cheap and fast download rates have turned the computer into a threat to traditional TV broadcasting, both pay and free to air. To save itself, TV is having to become a lot more like the web.

''It's becoming a semantic question whether television is a URL on the internet or the internet is a channel on the television set,'' says Jeff Cole, a futurist and the director of the Centre for the Digital Future at the University of Southern California. ''The key word is convergence.''

Dr Cole says the old model of television broadcasting is almost irrelevant already: ''Teenagers barely understand the concept of watching television on a broadcast network's schedule,'' he says. ''If you talk to them about the days when you used to have a favourite show and you had to be home before it started and you couldn't leave the house until after it aired …''

He lets the absurdity of that proposition hang in the air, even though most Australians grew up with it. But the ability to record now and watch later - which began with the introduction of the VCR to living rooms in the late 1970s - has fundamentally changed the game. The industry calls it ''time-shifting'', and it poses a major threat to the business model of free-to-air broadcasting.

The free-to-air model relies on a network being able to deliver an audience of a certain size and demographic at a set time. That guarantee allows commercial networks to sell advertising spaces at a set rate - hence the importance of TV ratings. Advertisers are, effectively, buying eyeballs.

But when those eyeballs have the opportunity to record and watch later - at a time when they are less inclined to make grocery-buying decisions, for instance - or to fast-forward through the ads entirely, the business model falters.

The problem has become so serious that from December 27, OzTAM - which collects ratings for the networks - will for the first time begin tracking time-shift audiences. Anyone in the ratings sample group who records a program to a personal video recorder and watches it within seven days will, for the first time, be counted as a viewer. In the US, where Nielsen has been tracking time-shift audiences within three days of broadcast, ratings have been boosted by as much as 25 per cent for some programs.

That's great news for traditional broadcasters. But time-shifting is just one of the fronts on which they are vulnerable.

Video on demand is another. Whether legally or illegally, the tech-savvy have been able to search for programming online for years, and download to watch on their computers. Now the same service is downloaded or streamed over the internet and watched on the television screen.

In the last three weeks alone, Australian viewers have been promised the following: Telstra's T-Box, which will allow paid content to be streamed or recorded, with unmetered downloads from BigPond's libraries; the ABC iView player, which can now play content on the TV via Sony's PlayStation 3; and a hook-up between iiNet and TiVo to stream free, unmetered content to the television.

In the US, the shift is even more advanced. Hulu - a joint venture between News Corp and NBC - allows subscribers to stream a vast array of content legally and free (for now at least; Hulu is expected to start charging next year). Originally, that content could only be watched on the computer, but software recently released allows it to be relayed to the TV via the PlayStation, X-Box and Wii gaming consoles. Hulu was launched in 2008 and already has more than 42 million users. In October, it delivered 856 million downloads, almost twice as many as the preceding month.

According to the head of digital marketing at IBM Australia, Martin Walsh, ''the Australian TV networks had the opportunity to joint venture to bring Hulu to Australia, but they turned it down''.

While they may rue that decision, another US service provider, Netflix, is rumoured to be working with TV manufacturers to develop a set that would eliminate the need for peripheral devices such as game consoles or computer hard drives.

In Ericsson's Asia-Pacific TV Centre in Port Melbourne, a ''techspert'' is talking through the company's vision of the future. He's demonstrating a set-up that will allow multiple TVs or computers or other devices scattered throughout a household to stream content individually while remaining networked so that each user can send messages to the others - ''dinner's ready, come to the table'', for instance - or even to keep tabs on the household energy use or grandma's medical records. As for entertainment, he says, ''everything that's ever been made could quite feasibly be stored on servers, for you to download instantly, whenever you want''.

''It's bringing the web and internet experience into one,'' says Kursten Leins, Ericsson's strategic marketing manager. ''The vision has been there for a long time. The reality is it's actually happening now.''

That reality is called Internet Protocol Television, or IPTV. It is, many believe, where everything is heading, though Leins argues there are significant hurdles. First, it will not become fully realised until the national broadband network is rolled out - we need fast download rates to make full use of the offerings - and that's at least five years off. And second, there are issues of governance.

''The biggest stumbling block is regulation,'' Leins says. ''At the moment you have a separate regime for telecommunications and another for broadcasting. When you're talking about the blending of all these services, it's the regulation that will get in the way, not the technology.''

But those issues are certain to be resolved because the Federal Government is committed to the digital future. It is the key to giving Australia a ''competitive edge'', in the Government's view, and will enable cheaper and faster delivery of everything from health care to education.

And, of course, it will also facilitate an explosion of choice in entertainment.

So, with the viewer liberated from the tyranny of the TV programmer, will the networks and pay TV operators cease to exist? Maybe, says futurist Jeff Cole. ''We're still going to have scheduling for people over the age of 50 or 60, but that's gradually going to diminish. It will go mostly to on-demand.'

TV revolution brings 3D leaping into your lounge

From http://www.smh.com.au/digital-life/hometech/tv-revolution-brings-3d-leaping-into-your-lounge-20091205-kc29.html

3D movies are migrating from the big screen into the lounge room. Photo: Reuters

New technology is reviving an old medium, writes Rachel Browne.

REPORTS of television's death have been greatly exaggerated.

A decade after pundits predicted free-to-air television would be killed off by a combination of pay TV, video games and the internet, it has shown remarkable resilience.

And, say senior industry figures, new technology has breathed life into an old medium.

"The technological advances we have seen in the past 12 months have resurrected the passion for television," Freeview chief executive Robin Parkes said.

As television celebrates its 53rd anniversary in Australia, our relationship with it remains strong.

There is a TV set in 99.7per cent of Australian households, the highest level among 52 countries globally, Nielsen's Online Global Survey found. This year, Australians watched three hours, five minutes each day, two minutes less than they watched in 2004.

But it is digital television, timeshifted viewing through the use of personal video recorders (PVR), video on demand and soon-to-be introduced 3D-enabled TV that have changed the way we interact with something that used to be regarded simply as part of the furniture.

The managing director of Sony Computer Entertainment Australia, Michael Ephraim, said viewers were on the brink of changes as revolutionary as the introduction of television. "I grew up with black-and-white television and, believe me, things are changing rapidly," he said.

Last week Sony launched a service that combines a games console, Blu-Ray DVD player, personal video recorder, electronic program guide, music downloads and catch-up TV through ABC iView, with more channels of video-on-demand to follow.

"Consumers are becoming more savvy," Mr Ephraim said. "They are embracing digital technology and are becoming more aware of what is out there."

More than half of Australian households now have digital television and one-fifth have a PVR, according to Freeview's Year in Review report, released last week.

Rhonda Brown, marketing director at Free TV, which represents the free-to-air networks, said early adopters were watching more.

"Technology is actually facilitating a better entertainment experience," she said. "Digital TV is providing superior pictures and sound, multichannels are providing consumers with more channels for free and personal video recorders are making it easier for people to plan their television viewing.

"We know that PVR homes watch between 10 and 20per cent more TV than non-PVR homes."

And they're not just watching in their homes. The advent of the PVR and catch-up TV means viewers watch on laptops and phones.

The Seven Media Group sales and digital chief, James Warburton, believes the innovations have opened opportunities for viewers as well as changing their profiles.

"Everyone thought PVRs would be the death of TV but it's turned out to be quite the opposite," he said.

"PVR viewers are 10 years younger than the average TV viewer, which is important because it's that younger demographic networks and advertisers were concerned about."

The next step will be video-on-demand, with players including Microsoft, Telstra and Hybrid Television Services having already entered the market. "The download rate was 10 times what we projected," said Robbee Minicola, chief of Hybrid, the Australian licensee of TiVo, which launched its CASPA on-demand service last week.

Australia's high rate of illegal movie and TV downloads suggests a strong interest in on-demand services, which Ms Minicola believes viewers will be reluctant to pay for. "Many people are taking content off bitTorrent [file-sharing software] not because they want to steal content but because they had no other way of watching a show they had missed," she said.

Rather than having a subscription fee, CASPA will be advertiser-funded. "This service has to be easy for everyone from geeks to grandmothers but you don't have to get out your wallet every time you want to watch," Ms Minicola said. "The fact is 72per cent of the Australian public watches free to air exclusively. The overwhelming majority do not want to pay."

But we are happy to fork out for the latest flat-screen televisions and PVRs. About 2.4million TV sets will be sold by Christmas, with retailers saying business is up 20per cent. In the first half of 2009, sales of LCD TVs alone topped $1billion.

The looming analogue switch-off in 2013 is driving the sales, said the consumer electronics marketer of Samsung, Mark Leathan. He said the first 3D-enabled televisions – and, no, you won't need those coloured glasses – arrive in stores next year.

"What is limiting 3D is the lack of content. That said, we think it's something which will become desirable over the next few years." Despite all the advances, content is still king, Mr Warburton said. "You can have all the best technology in the world but if you haven't got content people want to watch, they're not going to switch on."

Sky looks to broadband downloads for MySky

From http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=10613854

Sky is looking at how to connect its MySky hi-def boxes to the broadband network, allowing it to match rival TiVo. Photo / Brett Phibbs.

Sky Television says it is almost viable to introduce broadband download capabilities for its MySky HDi device.

Sky chief executive John Fellet said that the internet protocol capabilities, allowing broadband downloads of programming, would be economically viable once they were in 150,000 homes.

Fellet acknowledged that TiVo, launched in New Zealand a month ago, had more technological features than MySky.

MySky is part of the pay platform and Sky says it is in more than 130,000 homes.

TiVo, as well as accessing the Freeview digital free to air channels, allows broadband downloads of specified free and pay-per-view content.

With convergence between the home computer and television set - and new advanced electronic programming guides - many believe it is the future for entertainment and communications.

Industry observers like Michael Carney of the consultancy The Media Counsel said that 24-hour access to specified video content was the way of the future, rather than the current model broadcasts of pay channels.

"So TiVo will be the gatekeepers for content and it is important to maintain access to them."

Fellet said that opening the door to broadband downloads through MySky HDi internet portal would require deals for unmetered broadband, so Sky customers downloading material were not charged for going over caps imposed by their ISPs.

Telecom has an arrangement with TiVo offering unmetered broadband downloads.

MySky has met a consumer demand for the personal video recorder function - easy pre-recording of content and fast forwarding through advertising breaks.

But the personal video recorder market has become crowded.

There are many brands of PVRs to accommodate the new Freeview free to air channels.

But TiVo takes the notion of a PVR further - with options for free and advertiser-funded programmes and a growing supply of pay-per-view movies and shows.

TiVo technology is licensed in Australasia to Hybrid Television Services - one-third owned by TVNZ and two-thirds by the Australian Seven Network. Technology writer Peter Griffin has praised the features and attractions of TiVo especially for the "semi-geek" consumer interested in technology.

But MySky HDi was still well ahead in the amount of content where currently TiVo had limited offerings.

Hybrid Television Services Sydney-based chief executive Robbee Minicola said similar comments had been made about TiVo and Foxtel.

"Comparisons between TiVo and pay television on content are becoming tiring," she said.

"I am not in any way concerned about the content portfolio in New Zealand."

TiVo would ramp up the amount of content and ultimately offer much more free and pay-per-view content in return for a $920 initial purchase.

Hybird TV, Sky face off

From http://www.stuff.co.nz/3130811/Hybird-TV-Sky-face-off

Hybrid Television may cross swords with Sky Television by including Prime's programme listings on digital video recorder TiVo's electronic programme guide without the permission of Sky.

Chief executive Robbee Minicola says she intends to seek further information from Sky on why it will not allow its listings to be shown on TiVo and could then seek legal advice before making a decision.

Sky and Maori Television took some gloss off the launch of the hi-tech personal video recorder last month when they refused access to their listings.

Although TiVo can still display the channels, their decision means TiVo owners cannot see what programmes are on Prime or Maori TV or record programmes straight to TiVo's built-in hard-disk drive from its electronic programming guide (EPG).

A Stuff.co.nz poll suggested one-third of viewers who were considering buying TiVos might have been put off by the lack of listings data.

Sky spokesman Tony O'Brien would not add to an earlier statement that it was concerned Hybrid could not track how many customers were watching Prime and was uncomfortable with an exclusive partnership between Hybrid and Telecom, which has sole rights to sell TiVo in New Zealand.

Ms Minicola says going against Sky chief executive John Fellet's wishes on Prime's listings would not be her preferred option, but she did not believe Sky's explanation stacked up, because Prime's viewing numbers on TiVo would not yet be statistically significant.

If it became a genuine issue, Sky could withdraw the data. "I first have to find out why he doesn't want to give it to us.

"If I categorically see there is not a valid reason, then as an organisation working on behalf of my customers, I have to pursue other avenues if they are legally available."

Victoria University law professor Susy Frankel, who chairs the Copyright Tribunal, told The Dominion Post last month that while television listings could be subject to copyright, Hybrid Television would not necessarily breach Sky's copyright if it copied Prime's programme titles and broadcasting times into its EPG.

The legalities could depend on what information it used, and how.

Unitec broadcasting lecturer Peter Thompson says it would be no surprise if Hybrid did move on Prime's listings.

"The recession is biting into advertising revenue, putting pressure on free-to-air broadcasters, but it has an indirect effect on Sky as well, because people look twice at their subscriptions.

"When everybody is trying to make sure every cent counts, no-one wants to move in a direction that does any favours for the opposition. I don't know if [anyone] is looking at what is good for the consumer."

Ms Minicola hopes Maori TV will agree to release its programme listings for inclusion on TiVo.

She would not comment on whether she believed Maori TV's decision to withhold them was related to tensions between Maori TV and Television New Zealand over Rugby World Cup broadcasting rights, but says she does know "it has nothing to do with Hybrid".

TVNZ owns a one-third stake in Hybrid.

Hybrid Television owns the right to TiVo in New Zealand and Australia, but is not tied to the box and plans to let people access its video-on-demand service Caspa through other devices, such as internet-enabled televisions, computers and mobile phones, Ms Minicola says.

"We will soon be outside of TiVo as well. I will laugh five years from now about what is happening with Sky and Maori TV because in the scheme of things, it is so petty."

TV5 heats up race for TV supremacy

From http://www.mb.com.ph/articles/232929/tv5-heats-race-tv-supremacy

TV5 not only spread holiday cheer when it hosted a Christmas party for the entertainment press on Dec. 3, but it sent out word that the race for TV supremacy would be more interesting next year.

For starters, TV5 introduced Paolo Bediones as its first ever exclusive talent. Paolo’s career began in GMA-7 where he worked for 14 years.

Signing up Paolo is a big step for TV5 because for the longest time, it only “borrowed” stars from GMA-7 and ABS-CBN. But does this mean that TV5, which has earned respect and admiration for providing an alternative to the homogenous programming of the top networks, will now follow the industry’s standard?

And who’s going to be next after Paolo? Talent managers are said to be busy either sending or receiving feelers as well as invitations for a meeting to explore avenues for their artists. We will all find out in the weeks to come.

Paolo, meanwhile, gave a sample of his hosting chops during the Christmas party and shared the stage with Ryan Agoncillo of TV5’s highest-rating show, “Talentadong Pinoy,” who hosted the special edition for the press that night.

Paolo and Ryan, who are good friends, are said to be working together in a project on TV5.

An audio-visual presentation was also played to put to fore TV5’s plans for 2010. Infrastructure development and acquisition of high-definition production equipment are already underway to achieve a wider reach and a clearer reception.

It will also participate in providing content across all media platforms by virtue of its ownership by magnate Manny V. Pangilinan’s MediaQuest which pioneers in mobile television and has stakes in a radio station and a broadsheet.

MediaQuest is also a major content partner of PLDT’s Watchpad and Smart’s Sandbox. It likewise owns Cignal, the first digital direct-to-home satellite service.

Finally, TV5 will also venture into film production, which is good news because this may help mainstream cinema break out from a long slump or at least provide jobs to those displaced by the depression.

Arianespace Marks 30 Years Of Launch Services Excellence

From http://www.space-travel.com/reports/Arianespace_Marks_30_Years_Of_Launch_Services_Excellence_999.html

The 30th anniversary of Ariane's first flight was celebrated in Washington, D.C., where Arianespace Chairman and CEO Jean-Yves Le Gall underscored the importance of launch services maturity and continuity in today's competitive marketplace.

Speaking to attendees at the company's annual holiday gathering in the U.S. nation's capital, Le Gall said three decades of operations has seen the Ariane launch site in French Guiana become the world's most advanced space center.

He recalled the maiden flight of Ariane 1 on Christmas Eve 1979, noting that the dedication of a small, but determined team of engineers and scientists paved the way for Arianespace's creation as the world's first commercial launch services company.

In a reference to the operational expertise gained since this milestone Ariane mission, Le Gall joked that one key conclusion of such a successful heritage is: "Don't trust anyone under the age of 30," noting that experience is vital for launch services quality and performance.

"In all seriousness, over the last three decades, Arianespace developed not just the technical know-how, but the wisdom that comes from having launched nearly every kind of platform and nearly every kind of mission," he explained. "It is one of those intangible qualities that produce very tangible results."

Le Gall's speech included a reference to the important role played by Ariane and Arianespace in the United States - both for commercial operators and the government.

"Since our inception, Arianespace has launched nearly 50 percent of all U.S. commercial satellites, for which we are very proud," he said.

"We're also proud of the fact that many of the satellites we've launched are supporting the American warfighter overseas. Many people are not aware that commercial satellites provide 80 percent of the Department of Defense's satellite capacity."

Le Gall also underscored Arianespace's contributions in helping new satellite operators literally get off the ground by providing access to space for start-up companies such as TerreStar Networks, which is based near Washington, D.C. in Reston, Virginia.

Its TerreStar-1 satellite was successfully orbited by a heavy-lift Ariane 5 mission last July, delivering this nearly seven-metric ton spacecraft into a highly accurate orbit.

"TerreStar-1 was the world's largest telecommunications satellite ever launched, and it was TerreStar Network's first satellite - so they literally had everything riding on our rocket," he said.

"With the flawless Ariane 5 launch behind them, TerreStar has partnered with AT and T, and is now rolling out a revolutionary pocket-sized satellite phone."

Le Gall concluded his remarks with a reminder that the launch site in French Guiana "has become a pathway to space for all people of the world," and will further expand its operations next year when Arianespace introduces Soyuz as the newest member of its launcher family in 2010.

South African Pay TV up in audience

From http://www.bizcommunity.com/Article/196/19/42834.html

The Television Audience Measurement Survey (TAMS) universe update has increased the total adult TV universe by 4%, with an additional 837 833 adult viewers in the mix. The terrestrial adult (16+) TV universe declined by 1%, losing just over 291 000 viewers, while DStv's grew by a whopping 33% thanks to an additional 1,129-million viewers.

Some users have queried whether it is this universe change and not real changes in the TV market, which is responsible for the declines seen lately in the viewing levels for terrestrial TV.

According to SAARF's senior technical support executive, Claire Welch, the answer is a resounding “No. It is not the new universe which has caused the decline in terrestrial channel viewing, but rather the changing behaviour of South Africa's TV viewers, which AMPS does not influence but merely reflects,” she says.

The figures show that viewing behaviour is changing radically, specifically with regards to pay TV.

“There is a clear shift towards DStv, whose adult universe rose from 3,392-million to 4,522-million,” says Welch. “If you look at TV viewing in total, the audience is quite stable, as are ARs. Due to the huge move to DStv however, there is an equal shift away from terrestrial TV. As a whole, terrestrial TV is now competing head-to-head with satellite.”

New brand of DStv viewer

AMPS shows that DStv is growing rapidly, a trend, which is supported by the pay station's own audited subscriber figures. Non-pay TV is experiencing a loss of its higher LSM audiences, as upper LSM people move to pay TV. For example, AMPS 2008A shows that non-pay TV lost over 602 000 adult viewers in LSM 7-10, while pay TV gained over 934 000 adult viewers. Terrestrial TV's adult LSM 7 audience is down 9%, LSM 8 is down 14%, LSM 9 is down 8%, and LSM 10 down by 12%.

DStv is no longer the exclusive preserve of the upper classes. More and more lower-LSM households are coming on board, thanks to its offering of more affordable packages. Its LSM 1-6 adult audience has grown by 105%, or almost 195 000 viewers. The percentage of pay TV adult viewers in LSM 5 has risen by 212%, with LSM 6 growing by 89%.

Terrestrial TV's greatest loss by region was in Gauteng, where it lost just over 297 000 adult viewers. DStv on the other hand, gained over 422 000 adult viewers in this province. In terms of household language, English-speaking adults added almost 185 000 new DStv viewers to the pot, with Afrikaans-speaking contributing just over 137 000. Just over 395 000 Nguni-speaking adults are new to the DStv fold, with an additional 412 000 Sotho-speaking adults.

In a TV environment, which is undergoing such change, Welch urges the industry to apply logic when using historical data to predict a future figure, as is the case in TV planning. “Take into account the universe changes and make allowances for viewer shifts due to changes in channels' programming,” she says.

“Planners should apply their own knowledge and logic to smooth out differences between the source data and their projections, down-weighting current data as needed to allow for the universe change and making adjustments for the influence of sports events, seasonal fluctuations and holiday periods on viewing behaviour.”

Delayed results

To measure TV accurately, SAARF needs to know how many TVs and M-Net and DStv decoders people have, information, which is sourced from AMPS. While people are continuously buying new TV equipment, the universe can only be updated every six months after AMPS is released.

It has been some months since the TAMS universe was updated to the weights of AMPS 2008A, reflecting the changes picked up in the TV-viewing arena. Updating the universe ensures that the data remains up-to-date with changes happening in the TV arena, brought about by the constant addition of new households to the TV-viewing population and the inexorable move to pay TV.

The latest universe update however, was a significantly large one, because SAARF had been asked by the TAMS Council to delay the usual six-monthly update while the TV stakeholders discussed certain TV questions on AMPS.

It would be a further nine months before SAARF was given the go-ahead to update the TAMS universe to the AMPS 2008A weights. (Due to this delay, the next TAMS universe update due in January 2010 will skip AMPS 2008B and use AMPS 2009A's weights.)

Astrosat All Set To Be Launched Next Year

From http://www.spacemart.com/reports/Astrosat_All_Set_To_Be_Launched_Next_Year_999.html

The expected operating life time of the satellite will five years.

India's first science satellite Astrosat is all set to be launched next year, former chairman of Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) Madhavan Nair said.

One more satellite 'Aditya' to study Sun's coronal mass ejection (CME) would be launched in two years while the science mission to planet Mars by 2013, Nair said, addressing a galaxy of scientists from India and abroad and the student community at the Grand Finale function of Bhabha Centenary celebrations, which has concluded.

The multi-wavelength astronomy mission Astrosat on an Indian remote sensing satellite-class satellite in a 650-km, near-equatorial orbit would be launched next year, he said, adding it will be launched by the Indian launch vehicle PSLV from the Sriharikota launchpad. The expected operating life time of the satellite will five years.

'Adiyta' will be launched in next two years to study the properties of CMEs, that are gigantic bubbles of electrified gas that billow away from the Sun.

6/12/09

Sunday, no update

5/12/09

Saturday, no update

4/12/09

Ishtar TV website
http://www.ishtartv.com/

Info
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ishtar_TV

From my Email & ICQ

From Lazer

Ishtar TV has started today on UBI FTA and will be a permanent FTA channel
part of the FTA channels UBI broadcast

Discovery Channel Takes Home Top Prize at Asian Television Awards 2009!

From http://www.adoimagazine.com/newhome/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=5188&catid=1&Itemid=5

Discovery Channel, the flagship brand of Discovery Networks Asia-Pacific (DNAP), was named ‘Cable & Satellite Channel of the Year’ at the Asian Television Awards 2009 held in Singapore last night. DNAP picked up a total of 10 wins and commendations in various categories (please refer to the appendix for the full list). The Network dominated the Awards for the last two years, winning the coveted 'Cable & Satellite Network of the Year' in 2007 and 2008. This year, the category was changed to ‘Cable & Satellite Channel of the Year’, awarded to the single cable and satellite channel with the most points accumulated from wins or commendations for programming produced for and aired on that single channel.

Tom Keaveny, executive vice president and managing director, Discovery Networks Asia-Pacific, said, “We are thrilled to be named ‘Cable & Satellite Channel of the Year’ once again, and this is a perfect way to round-up our 15th anniversary in Asia-Pacific. We have a talented team here in Asia with strong leadership in the various markets, and these awards are testament to their dedication and hard work. We are also fortunate to work with our valued partners who complement our efforts in providing viewers with the best in non-fiction programming."

Discovery Networks Asia-Pacific is committed to developing the local non-fiction filmmaking industry in the region and growing the documentary genre through various initiatives including the First Time Filmmakers Initiative, the Eye on China and Eye on Malaysia project, Discovery Ignite, the Documentary Directors’ Chair and other training sessions and workshops. To date, Discovery’s local productions have garnered several awards and have been aired internationally.

You can click on http://www.asiantvawards.com/index.asp for more information about the Asian Television awards. All voting results are tabulated by international auditing firm PricewaterhouseCoopers.

New Luxury TV Channel to be Launched

From http://www.pr-inside.com/new-luxury-tv-channel-to-be-r1615644.htm

2009-12-04 07:49:16 - The world's 11 million millionaires will soon have an exclusive information and entertainment TV channel...

RS Management Limited (RSM), Global General Managers for the Richman’s chain of International Millionaire Clubs is to launch a new luxury TV channel called Richman’s Television (RTV) in 2010.

RTV will be coordinated from Hong Kong and is being planned as a three cycle, twenty-four hours lifestyles television channel featuring and reporting on the lives and lifestyle needs of successful
men and women. RTV is targeted at an audience made up of Richman’s Club members, the 11 million reported millionaires around the world and the many, many more aspiring millionaires out there.

RTV programs will be made available through fixed and mobile channels like WorldEx TV, Internet TV, IPTV, Connected TV and, where appropriate, traditional channels like free-to-air, cable, and satellite TV as well.

RTV will accept appropriate advertising and advertorials deemed to be of interest to its viewers.
According to Dr A S Johan, who is the leading the RTV development project on behalf of RSM said “RTV is set to become a key information and entertainment channel for the wealthy. We have already made several key strategic alliances for RTV, but I believe there are still many interesting opportunities for further partnerships to be considered.”

Sundance, WEtv to launch on Mio

From http://www.variety.com/article/VR1118012202.html?categoryid=14&cs=1

Singapore broadcasting to begin Monday

Sundance Channel and WE tv will launch on SingTel's feevee service Mio after Rainbow Media completed a carriage deal in Singapore.

The news, which was announced Thursday at the Asian TV Forum in Singapore, marks the first Asian launch for Sundance Channel and the first launch of WE tv outside the United States.

Beginning Monday, Sundance Channel and WE will be available to Mio customers in both standard and high definition sporting Mandarin subtitles, with 24/7 linear and SVOD offerings.

Last month, Rainbow Media signed up to distribute the networks to Asia for the first time via the Measat-3a satellite.

Among the early offerings will be the documentary "Monty Python: Almost the Truth (The Lawyer's Cut)," which makes its Asian premiere on Sundance Channel's SVOD service.

SingTel's Mio platform is an IPTV service that launched in July 2007 as part of the SuperSaver English Pack as well as on an a la carte basis.

From http://www.star-ecentral.com/news/story.asp?file=/2009/12/4/tvnradio/5226697&sec=tvnradio

AFTER its decision to drop the BBCE channel, Astro recently announced that it is offering a new channel, BIO on Channel 731, as part of its Metro Package.

Reaching out to over 67 million households worldwide in 23 territories and 10 languages, BIO is the home to the Emmy-Award winning Biography series profiling personalities from Hollywood stars to historical figures, world leaders, business tycoons, artists, monarchs, musicians, and athletes.

BIO also offers real-life series, which takes viewers into the chaotic and off-beat lives of some truly unique characters and offers an exclusive window into the lives of ordinary people with extraordinary stories.

The channel will also feature local content – for example exclusive interview vignettes on the likes of Sharifah Amani and Yeo Yann Yann, in its Rising Stars segment. Apart from that, Peddlers Of Asia – a special series that travels to China, Malaysia, Singapore and some other Asian countries – looks behind the faces of those individuals whose existence relies on their peddling of food carts through local markets, villages and back alleys.

Featured episodes include a focus on our capital city - Kuala Lumpur, and the state of Kelantan, unveiling unique stories of our culture and delectable cuisine.

Bio.RAW features a gripping line-up sure to shock audiences. With an unabashed look at people who had the courage and tenacity to survive harrowing situations against insurmountable odds, in I Survived, to the suffering created by mental disorders such as obsessive-compulsive disorder in Obsessed; to breaking the cycle of destructive addiction in the Emmy-award winning series Intervention; to the unbelievable filth created by those compelled to hoard in Hoarders.

Meanwhile, music lovers can look forward to Bio.beat every Monday at 9pm, featuring celebrity musicians such as Jennifer Lopez, Elton John, Guns N’ Roses, Abba and Shania Twain as their lives take centre stage. Famous & Fabulous will roll out the red carpet every Tuesday at 9pm unveiling the real person behind various celebrities such as Anthony Hopkins, Angelina Jolie, Jodie Foster, Vera Wang, and Asian stars like Jet Li and Michelle Yeoh.

From fame to infamy; follow the footsteps of Leaders & Legends, every Wednesday at 9pm. Get the inside stories of world leaders such as Confucius, Chiang Kai Shek, Albert Einstein, Imelda Marcos and Ho Chi Minh. From inspiration to aspiration, the lives of the Rich & Royal (think Lakshmi Mital, Princess Diana, Donald Trump) are always enthralling and you can get a glimpse into it every Thursday at 9pm. Sports enthusiasts can get a taste of the hardship in training and discipline put up by sports champions such as Shaquille O’Neal, Michelle Kwan, Tiger Woods and Andre Agassi every Fridays at 9pm on Adrenalin Rush.

BIO will be available with Bahasa Malaysia and Chinese subtitles on most programmes to widen its appeal and relevance. Customers who subscribe to the Metro Package are advised to set their decoders on standby mode for approximately 10 to 15 minutes, if they haven’t already done so, to receive BIO.

Authorities vow to crack down on satellite piracy

From http://www.zawya.com/Story.cfm/sidZAWYA20091204071333/Authorities vow to crack down on satellite piracy in Jordan

04 December 2009

AMMAN - Authorities have vowed to crack down on the piracy of satellite television channels, following the recent discovery of a network illegally transmitting prepaid satellite broadcasts.

Investigators recently referred a man to court for establishing a network decoding and re-transmitting satellite channels without proper licensing from authorities or network owners, according to the National Library Department (NLD), the top authority concerned with protecting intellectual property rights (IPR).

The network comprised a group of devices to decode the signals of satellite television channels, transmitting them to 150 users within a 300-square-metre radius for a monthly fee.

"This is considered a serious crime and we are accelerating efforts to put a quick end to this practice," NLD Director Mamoun Talhouni told The Jordan Times yesterday.

According to Article 55 of the Copyright Law, it is illegal for any individual or group to "circumvent effective technological measures or counteract them or disable any part thereof" for the unlicenced commercial use of a protected product.

Those found engaging in satellite piracy are considered violators of the Copyright Law, Talhouni stressed, noting that the infraction carries a penalty of three months to three years in prison and a JD1,000-JD3,000 fine.

Talhouni pointed out that earlier this year, Prime Minister Nader Dahabi established a permanent committee tasked with enforcing the Copyright Law and protecting IPR in the Kingdom.

The committee, which consists of the NLD, Jordan Telecom GroupJordan Telecom Group, the Public Security Department, the Jordan Customs DepartmentJordan Customs Department Jordan Customs Department
JCD Jordan | Governmental Institutions and the Ministry of Justice among others, has already been successful in disrupting pirated signals, he noted.

The Customs Department is actively preventing the entry of devices used to aid in the pirating of satellite broadcasts, he said, stressing that the NLD has foiled "dozens" of attempts to establish such networks through its raids on vendors, coffee shops and electronics stores in Amman, Zarqa, Irbid and Aqaba.

The NLD has referred 483 cases to the prosecutor general in the first 10 months of this year. A total of 2,830 cases of IPR violations have been referred to the courts since 2000, with dozens of convictions, according to the department.

3/12/09

I've had request from Satelindo to get some signal readings from Palapa D.

From http://www.theaustralian.com.au/seven-counts-the-heavy-cost-of-pay-tv-suit-defeat/story-e6frg8zx-1225806334001

COMPANIES have been warned to be "vigilant" in their commercial dealings and should even go so far as to inquire whether their business partners have an "anti-competitive purpose", two judges of the Full Federal Court say.

The comments were part of the judgment against Kerry Stokes's Seven Network, which lost its court appeal against News Limited, Telstra, Telstra Media, Consolidated Media Holdings, Foxtel and Sky Cable, in its long-running pay-TV dispute.

Seven will now face a further legal bill on top of the close to $150 million it has already had to pay after it suffered a humiliating defeat in its $1 billion challenge against a host of companies, including News Limited, publisher of The Australian, over its pay-TV arm, C7.

But while the comments on commercial dealings will have a broad application to the business community and how the Trade Practices Act is interpreted, the judges found yesterday that none of the parties sued by Seven had any anti-competitive purpose.

The Seven Network launched its $1bn case in 2002 against companies including News Limited, Publishing and Broadcasting Limited, Optus, Telstra, the NRL, the AFL and Channel Ten. By the end of the case, one of the costliest in Australia's history, the amount of money being fought over was $212m -- about the same amount the case cost in legal fees. In July 2007 Federal Court judge Ronald Sackville rejected Channel Seven's claims that some media companies had conspired to "kill" C7. "The evidence clearly establishes that Seven failed to make its best offer for the rights when they became available," Justice Sackville said. "Seven was the author of its own misfortune."

But while it was quick to talk up the prospects of an appeal after it lost the case in 2007, yesterday Seven was silent on the possibility of going to the High Court for another round. The company issued a statement saying it was considering the judgment. "In Seven's opinion, the importance of the issues to its business justified pursuing this appeal, given that costs in appeals are far more contained as they focus on legal analysis," the statement said. News Limited spokesman Greg Baxter said the decision "comprehensively validates the original judgment and our position on the issues right from the start". Foxtel said the company and its shareholders "have maintained all along that the demise of the C7 sports channel was of the Seven Network's own making and was not due to the actions of other parties as the Seven Network alleged".

Chief executive Kim Williams said the decision "confirms the position we have held all along, which is that we acted fairly and lawfully in all our commercial dealings", adding that the proceedings had cost the parties almost $250m. Telstra declined to comment.

This year Mr Stokes, through Seven, has become a shareholder in Consolidated Media Holdings, of which it owns 21.5 per cent.

Sony takes credit for large iView upswing

From http://www.current.com.au/2009/12/03/article/RCGHZWPMYV.html

SYDNEY, NSW: Sony Computer Entertainment has today claimed responsibility for an upswing in interest in the ABC’s iView feature. The Japanese entertainment specialist said the new IPTV feature for the PlayStation 3 (PS3) now accounts for almost 30 per cent of all visits.

In a release to media, Sony reported that iView experienced a surge in visits in the first week of PlayTV sales, with visitors to the site jumping from 263,000 to 318,000. This equates to a rise of just over 20 per cent over the seven days. Furthermore, Sony states that 115,000 visits to the site were through the PlayStation 3 console.

Talking about this is Sony managing director Michael Ephraim.

“It’s great to see that offering catch up TV services through PS3 has not just moved eyeballs from the PC to the TV, but importantly has grown the audience for the ABC iView service,” Emphraim said.

“The incremental nature of the increase in ABC iView viewers proves that there is strong consumer demand for IPTV services and a willingness to embrace more flexibility and choice in accessing network content.

“We’re thrilled to work with ABC TV to be the first to offer this service to the 690,000 Australian consumers who currently own a PS3 and will continue to lead the charge in delivering catch up services into the home on the TV in 2010.

“Whilst the numbers tell the success story, we have also installed an additional 15,000 PS3 consoles into Australian homes since the arrival of our TV on demand offers and we’re also receiving some fantastic feedback from consumers.

“PS3 owners are enjoying playing catch up on over 100 diverse ABC shows streamed to their big screen TVs in the optimised format that only PlayStation can deliver.

“We expect that in the lead up to Christmas, more and more Australians will see PS3 as the only real contender for pride of place in their living room as the full home entertainment solution for the whole family, where the game is just the start of the PlayStation experience.

“Our new TV on demand services, which also now include PlayTV and access to Freeview free to view digital channels, combined with Blu-ray playback, picture storage and display, VidZone free music video streaming and so much more, enables PS3 to bring more entertainment on demand to the living room than any other device on the market.”

FBC to start TV

From http://www.radiofiji.com.fj/fullstory.php?id=24236

It is official now that the first ever Radio Company in Fiji – Fiji Broadcasting Corporation apart from radio broadcasting will go into Television.

FBC chief executive Riyaz Sayed-Khaiyum says government has approved the corporation to engage in television broadcasting.

He says various arrangements are being made as to the specific timing of commencement date.

Khaiyum says that will also depend on various determinants being put in place which includes finalisation of license, equipment, transmission and other related matters.

He adds further information will be made available at an appropriate time.

The government in their next year’s budget have allocated just over $2.7 million for Public Service Broadcast including both Radio and Television.

Astro to go HD

From http://star-techcentral.com/tech/story.asp?file=/2009/12/2/technology/20091202170727&sec=technology

If you have bought a HDTV and been complaining about the lack of high definition content from Astro, hold on to your horses because the company is set to introduce its HD service by the end of the year.

The company has been quietly upgrading its infrastructure, from cameras to launching the Measat 3A satellite, and is ready to roll out HD programming on its satellite network, said Paul Dale, Astro’s chief technology officer.

The HD channels that are going to be launched will be in 720p (1,280 x 720-pixels) which is the current HD broadcast standard. However, not all channels will be available in HD.

The first phase of the rollout will include popular channels, namely sports, documentaries and movie channels with more to come in the near future.

Details on the particular channels that will go HD will only be available at the launch date but it’s a given that the National Geographic and ESPN channels will be available in HD.

Local programming in HD is currently in the second phase of the plan and Astro is currently in the process of upgrading video cameras and other equipment.

To receive HD broadcast, consumers will be required to upgrade their TVs to HDTVs as well as change the current set-top box and satellite dish.

On top of the HD broadcasts, Astro is also working on a number of new services including a revamped channel guide and other new features.

The new set-top box will have a HDMI connection, composite outputs, Ethernet port, an USB port and even a digital audio output for 5.1-channel surround sound audio.

The Ethernet port on the set-top box even allows for the delivery of the video channels via the wired broadband connection although this, again, is in a future phase.

Perhaps the most exciting part of the new set-top box is that it comes with a high speed USB port so that you can connect any external hard disk to turn receiver into a digital recorder.

You can’t distribute the video on the hard disk though as each programme recorded is protected by DRM, so that it can only be viewed using the set-top box.

However, the video recording feature will not be available in the first stage of the rollout and will be enabled in a future firmware update.

The official consumer launch will be before the year-end.

ISRO earns Rs.1 Billion by launching foreign satellites

From http://www.siliconindia.com/shownews/ISRO_earns_Rs1_Billion_by_launching_foreign_satellites-nid-63466-cid-3.html

New Delhi: The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has earned over Rs.1 billion in the last three years by launching foreign satellites. And much of this has come from Israel and Italy.

"Twelve satellites were launched for other countries during the last three years including six nano-satellites during the current year," Science and Technology Minister Prithviraj Chavan informed the Lok Sabha Wednesday.

The minister said Indonesia, Argentina, Italy, Israel, Canada and Germany were the key countries taking the help of ISRO in sending their satellites on a commercial basis.

In the last three years, the space agency had earned over a billion rupees.

Israel paid a whopping Rs.548 million for commercial launches. It has also earned Rs.407 million from Italy. While the earning from Indonesia is Rs.13 million, ISRO got Rs.20 million from Canada.

From http://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/media/seven-network-loses-c7-appeal-over-pay-tv-rights/story-e6frg996-1225806060397

THREE judges of the Full Federal Court dismissed the Seven Network's appeal today in the long-running C7 court case over pay-TV rights.

Two judges disagreed with some of the reasoning of Justice Ronald Sackville, but this did not change the outcome of the appeal, the court found.

The appeal court said the Seven Network had failed to establish that there was any ``anti-competitive purpose'' in the business dealings of the respondents in the retail TV market.

The appeal judgment is 235 pages long.

The Seven Network issued a statement, saying it was considering the judgment.

"In Seven's opinion, the importance of the issues to its business justified pursuing this appeal, given that costs in appeals are far more contained as they focus on legal analysis," the company said.

"There will be no further statement whilst the full judgment is considered."

The C7 litigation was one of the longest-running cases in Australia, and was launched by the Seven Network in 2002 against a raft of companies, including News Limited, publisher of The Australian, Publishing and Broadcasting Limited, Optus, Telstra, the NRL, AFL and Channel Ten.

"The evidence clearly establishes that Seven failed to make its best offer for the rights when they became available," Justice Sackville said. "Seven was the author of its own misfortune."

Seven had initially claimed more than $1 billion in damages but this was reduced to $212 million by the end of the case.

The case ran for 120 hearing days and cost $200m in legal fees, prompting Justice Sackville to comment that it was "extraordinarily wasteful" and "bordering on the scandalous".

Seven launched its appeal against News Limited, Telstra, Telstra Media, Consolidated Media Holdings, Foxtel and Sky Cable. Today the court ruled in favour of those parties in the appeal.

Since the appeal was launched, Mr Stokes, through the Seven Network, has become a shareholder in Consolidated Media Holdings, and now owns 21.5 per cent of the company. Following PBL's split in 2005, its media interests were held by Cons Media, which sold most of its interest in PBL Media to private equity group CVC Asia Pacific.

Pay TV set to bid on AFL games

From http://www.smh.com.au/afl/afl-news/pay-tv-set-to-bid-on-afl-games-20091201-k3rs.html

THE AFL appears to have succeeded in lobbying the Federal Government to have four home-and-away games a week removed from its protected list of free-to air-television sporting events.

The Age understands that Foxtel will have the right to bid independently for the four games in the next broadcast rights negotiations with the government soon to announce changes to anti-siphoning legislation.

Currently, pay TV can only purchase AFL games from a free-to-air carrier. Fox Sports bought the rights to half of the AFL's home-and-away series in the current $780 million, five-year broadcast package from a consortium formed by Channels Seven and Ten.

In a significant cultural shift that follows years of pressure from the AFL, the Communications Minister Stephen Conroy is expected to announce changes to the legislation later this month.

In other changes, some early round matches from grand slam tennis tournaments, including Wimbledon and the Australian Open, are expected to be removed from the free-to-air list along with some big international golf tournaments.

Foxtel executive Peter Campbell would not speculate last night as to whether his company had been successful in its submission to Conroy.

''We've always been consistent in our hopes that subscription television be unfettered in its right to bid for big sporting events whether that be AFL or any of our big productions,'' he said.

''We want to direct our relationships to the sporting organisation themselves rather than deal with free-to-air networks.''

The AFL's free-to-air broadcasters have been bracing themselves for changes to the legislation as has the Nine Network, which yesterday reinforced its commitment to play a major part in the next AFL broadcast rights that begins in 2012 and is expected to run for five years.

The AFL, which will be selling a nine-game weekly package along with finals that will remain exclusive as first-run free-to-air events, believes it can sell the next rights package for $1 billion. The figure is expected to include on-line rights.

The Nine Network's executive director Jeff Browne delivered a subtle broadside to his free-to-air rival Channel Seven, saying: ''The AFL seems to have taken on board comments from our competitors that we will not be a serious bidder.

''They said the same about the Olympics which we outbid them for, along with the Warner Bros deal we achieved recently and the Australian Masters Golf with Tiger Woods.

''We are very much in it. We've done a lot of work over the last few months modelling our plans on various contingencies that could come from the anti-siphoning review.''

The Nine Network, which has partnered with Foxtel for the Olympic Games, has said in the past that the pay television carrier would prove an ideal AFL broadcast-rights partner. With Foxtel now expected to be allowed to bid independently, Nine is expected to push for the remaining five home-and-away games each week and would be expected to on-sell at least two of those weekly fixtures and possibly three.

The Seven Network is contractually bound to include Channel Ten in its bid in an agreement originating from the last rights deal in which Seven and Ten imposed a now-defunct last-rights clause to outbid Nine.

However, it remains uncertain whether Ten will bid for the next broadcast rights, which all parties believe will see a deal achieved by the end of 2010, one year before the current agreement is completed.

The prevailing view among the free-to-air networks is that changes to the anti-siphoning legislation will not necessarily mean more money for broadcast rights for the AFL. It is not known whether the network's high-definition second channels, such as One HD, will be given more freedom under new legislation to show first-run sporting events.

Satellite debris misses space station

From http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/34230861/ns/technology_and_science-space/

Space junk came less than a mile of the outpost at closest point

A tiny piece of a defunct Russian satellite zipped by the International Space Station Tuesday, but was far enough away that outpost's two-man crew did not have to strap into their lifeboat to wait out the close shave, NASA officials said.

The debris — a small piece of a Cosmos satellite less than four inches (10 cm) wide — zoomed by the station at 1:19 p.m. EST (1819 GMT) and came less than a mile (1 km) of the outpost at its closest point.

"Updates showed that it would not come close enough to the space station to require any change in the processes onboard or require precautionary measures," said NASA spokesperson Kylie Clem.

NASA detected the object too late to move the space station clear of the incoming space trash by firing its thrusters.

Instead, NASA told the station's American commander Jeffrey Williams and Russian flight engineer Maxim Suraev that they might have to wake up during their sleep period and take refuge in their Soyuz spacecraft. The Russian-built Soyuz vehicles ferry crews to and from the station, and also serve as lifeboats in case astronauts must leave the orbiting laboratory in an emergency.

But additional analysis of the object's trajectory found that, despite its close pass, the satellite remnant posed no danger of hitting the space station. NASA typically moves the space station if there is a 1-in-10,000 chance of an object striking the $100 billion orbiting laboratory.
Tuesday's space debris event marked the third time in less than a week that station managers kept a watchful eye on debris near the space station. An old piece of

an American rocket flew by the station Saturday and part of a defunct experiment payload buzzed the outpost on Monday. Neither of those objects posed a threat to the station — they were several kilometers away — but NASA tracked them anyway to be sure.

Mission Control receives multiple space debris alerts every month for the space station, but most times the orbital junk passes well clear of the orbiting laboratory, NASA spokesperson Kelly Humphries told SPACE.com. While there have been some recent spikes in debris events near the space station, the overall long-term outlook is stable, he said.

NASA works to maintain a clear safety perimeter that extends 15 miles (25 km) around the space station, as well as about a half-mile (0.75 km) above and below it. The orbiting laboratory flies about 220 miles (354 km) above Earth at a speed of about 17,500 mph (28,163 kph).

Williams and Suraev are the only residents aboard the space station after a series of planned spacecraft departures cut the outpost's crew size by two-thirds.

Three members of the station's six-person crew landed earlier today on the frigid steppes of Kazakhstan to end their months-long space mission. Another crewmember returned home last week on NASA's space shuttle Atlantis.

Williams and Suraev will watch over the space station by themselves until late December, when a new Russian Soyuz will ferry three more crewmembers to the orbiting lab and boost its population back up to five people.

ESPN STAR Sports Inks Deal with Billiard Club Network

From http://www.insidepoolmag.com/200912/billiard-news/espn-star-sports-inks-deal-with-billiard-club-network.html

ESPN STAR Sports Inks Deal with Billiard Club Network
Asia’s Biggest Sports Content Provider to Showcase U.S. Open 9-Ball Championship Across the Region

The deal gives ESS exclusive multi-platform broadcast rights including cable, satellite and terrestrial television, as well as online and mobile media rights. Billiard Club Network’s production of 13 matches featuring notable world pool superstars will be telecast across ESPN STAR Sports’ broadcast networks in 24 Asian markets. In addition to this 2009 tournament, ESS will broadcast BCn’s 2008 U.S. Open 9-Ball series.

“We are delighted to partner with Billiard Club Network to showcase their events through our extensive reach across the region on our broadcast networks and our digital media platforms,” said Manu Sawhney, Managing Director, ESPN STAR Sports. “Cue sport programming has continued to grow on ESPN STAR Sports and with the strong following for the sport in Asia, fans can look forward to the most entertaining Cue sport experience on our networks.”

“ESPN provides our distribution with the star power needed to continue its growth on the international stage,” commented BCn president Rob Sykora. “This is our eighth year producing and distributing the great match-play of the U.S. Open 9-Ball and we are heartened by the growth and reach of the event’s broadcast. International TV distribution is critical for the success of any pool event and we look forward to the ESPN STAR Sports’ broadcast in Asia to provide a great break for this event and our future programs.”

In its 34th year, the U.S. Open 9-Ball has grown to a premier professional pool event due in large part to BCn’s production and TV distribution. Since 2002, when it first broadcast the U.S Open event live on Dish Network, BCn has reached more U.S. households with its cable and internet programming than any other broadcaster other than ESPN itself.

BCn’s worldwide TV distribution has reached well beyond ESPN Star Sports to include Sportsnet in Canada, Numericable in France, NTV+ and Planeta Sport in Russia, DD Sports in India, Rai Sport in Italy, along with U.S. regional sports networks Altitude Sports, Cox Sports TV, Comcast Sports, Sportsnet NY and America One. BCn also is the #1 subscribed and viewed pool and billiard channel online at YouTube, the world’s largest video portal.

ESPN STAR Sports has showcased a strong list of Cue sports on its networks, such as Asia’s premier pool competition the Asian 9-Ball Tour, World Pool Championship, World 10-Ball Championship 2009, Women’s Professional 9-ball Tour, Women’s World 10-Ball Championship, Philippine Open 10-Ball Championship.

From http://www.space-travel.com/reports/Boeing_Ships_High_Def_Broadcasting_Satellite_DIRECTV_12_To_Launch_Site_999.html

The new satellite will increase DIRECTV's high-definition (HD) capacity by 50 percent.

Boeing announced today that DIRECTV 12 was shipped Nov. 25 from Boeing's satellite manufacturing facility in El Segundo to the Baikonur Cosmodrome launch facility in Kazakhstan. Upon arrival, the satellite will undergo final preparations for a December launch aboard an International Launch Services Proton/Breeze M rocket.

"Boeing has provided advanced satellite systems to DIRECTV for more than 16 years, and we are on track for a DIRECTV launch that will deliver superior commercial communications capabilities to our customer and help their business succeed through the use of Boeing technology," said Craig Cooning, vice president and general manager of Boeing Space and Intelligence Systems.

"The successful launch and deployment of DIRECTV 12 will bring the best in digital television programming to DIRECTV's more than 18.4 million customers across the United States."

DIRECTV 12 is the 11th satellite Boeing has built for the nation's No. 1 satellite TV service, enabling DIRECTV to continue to broaden its lineup of digital television programming services and expand its customer base.

The new satellite will increase DIRECTV's high-definition (HD) capacity by 50 percent, and when combined with the DIRECTV 10 and 11 satellites that launched in 2007 and 2008, will enable DIRECTV to deliver 200 national and 1,500 local HDTV channels to millions of U.S. households.

DIRECTV 12's national and spot-beam Ka-band payloads are designed to receive and transmit programming throughout the continental United States, Alaska and Hawaii.

1/12/09

Live satellite chat 9.pm NZ and 8.30pm Syd time onwards in the chatroom

From http://www.nbr.co.nz/article/telstra-telstraclear-merge-operations-115716

“Telstra will operate its New Zealand and Australian businesses as part of a single transtasman market,” said chief executive David Thodey late yesterday, announcing his first series of changes since taking the reins in June.

The sweeping restructure - which took place in parallel to federal government efforts to prod the telco into structurally separating as the price of participating in its National Broadband Network - saw the creation of two new domestic divisions (see summary below), and the creation of a new International unit - which will include Telstra’s various interests outside Australia and New Zealand.

TelstraClear spokesman Chris Mirams downplayed the change, saying the two operations had always been close, and that it would be “business as usual”.

More products in common
The tighter Australia-New Zealand integration will focus on shared back-office functions such as finance, administration, legal and HR, according to media reports across the Tasman.

Mr Mirams would not comment on that point, but did say that it would make sense for Telstra and TelstraClear to release more products and services that were the same across both operations - both at the corporate end of town "where we're already close" and "across the board".

Telstra and TelstraClear currently follow different paths in several areas; in part reflecting their different positions in the pecking order of their respective markets.

For example, Telstra is manoeuvring to participate in the Australian government’s fibre-to-the-premise project, while TelstraClear is one of the biggest critics of Crown fibre here; and Telstra operates its own 3G mobile network, while TelstraClear has resold Telecom (and soon Vodafone) cellular service here.

But the two also share a number of strategies, chiefly expanding their cable networks, and ramping up their TV-over-fibre plans (Telstra owns 50% of Sky TV’s Australian sister company, Foxtel, but may be forced to divest its stake).

Job cuts
Mr Mirams denied a report in Australian trade newsletter CommsDay that job cuts are expected at TelstraClear.

None were planned in relation to the Australia-New Zealand restructure, said Mr Mirams. A feasibility study was already underway, which could see up to 170 TelstraClear call centre positions in Paraparaumu and Christchurch offshored to Manila.

Ironically, Telstra has been bringing jobs home from the Philippines, so closer alignment with its Australian parent could conceivably make TelstraClear less likely to off-shore the positions.

The company won't comment until a feasibility study is wrapped up in March.

The Australian government recently sold down its remaining stake in the privatised telco, but still maintains a 10% stake through its superannuation investment vehicle, the Future Fund. (Read: Telstra split: did Aussie govt just execute the ultimate insider trade?)

Mr Thodey, a Kiwi ex-pat, was chairman of TelstraClear up until his appointment as Telstra chief executive mid-year. Based in Sydney, he also served as Telstra’s group managing director for government and enterprise sales.

Led by independently-minded chief executive Dr Allan Freeth, TelstraClear doubled its profit to $18 million on revenue of $703 million for the 12 months to June 30.

* New Zealand and Australian businesses to be run as part of a single transtasman market

* The creation of a new International unit, headed by Tarek Robbiati, that will take geographic and operational responsibility for CSL, Reach, Telstra's businesses in China, international sales and business development.

* The creation of two new product units, headed by Justin Milne and Philip Jones, to enable Telstra to compete effectively in fixed and mobile markets.

* The consolidation of network, technology and IT functions and the appointment of Michael Rocca as acting Chief Operations Officer

* The appointment of Robert Nason to lead a new Customer Satisfaction, Simplification & Productivity unit responsible for improving customer service.

* The creation of an Operating Committee, comprising the heads of customer-facing and product units, to meet weekly and focus on business performance.

Zenit rocket launches with communications satellite

From http://www.spaceflightnow.com/news/n0911/30landlaunch/

A new satellite to broadcast video and data services to Russia and the Middle East was successfully released in geosynchronous transfer orbit Monday, six hours after a middle-of-the-night blastoff from Kazakhstan aboard a Land Launch Zenit rocket.

The 192-foot-tall Zenit 3SLB lit its RD-171 main engine and roared away from pad 45 at the Baikonur Cosmodrome at 2100 GMT (4 p.m. EST), or 3 a.m. local time in Kazakhstan.

The first stage drained its kerosene and liquid oxygen propellants two-and-a-half minutes after launch, giving way to the Zenit's second stage to continue the push toward space. The payload fairing jettisoned on time five minutes into the mission and the second stage separated from the rocket's Block DM-SLB upper stage eight-and-a-half minutes after launch.

The kerosene-fueled upper stage ignited for three-and-a-half minutes to push the Intelsat 15 satellite into a low-altitude parking orbit.

The Block DM engine fired two more times to raise Intelsat 15's altitude and put the spacecraft in an elliptical transfer orbit.

The 5,477-pound satellite was deployed around 0330 GMT (10:30 p.m. EST). The rocket was targeting an orbit with a high point of 22,236 miles, a low point of 6,394 miles, and an inclination of 12 degrees.

A ground station acquired the first signals from Intelsat 15 a few minutes later, according to Sea Launch.

"I want to congratulate Intelsat and Orbital for a very successful mission," said Kjell Karlsen, president and general manager of Sea Launch. "This is the 10th satellite we've orbited for Intelsat and we look forward to launching many more satellites for you in the future."

Intelsat 15 will next unfurl its power-generating solar arrays and fire its on-board propulsion system to reach a circular geosynchronous orbit over the equator 22,300 miles above Earth. The spacecraft will also deploy two 7.5-foot antenna reflectors in the next couple of weeks.

After in-orbit testing, the satellite will begin operations from a slot at 85 degrees east longitude, where it will replace the Intelsat 709 spacecraft launched in 1996.

Intelsat 15 will provide data and video communications services to Russia, the Middle East, and Indian Ocean regions for up to 17 years.

The satellite's 22 Ku-band transponders will be attached to two communications beams focused on the Middle East and Russia. The coverage zone stretches from North Africa and eastern Europe to Siberia.

Orbital Sciences Corp. built Intelsat 15 based on the company's Star spacecraft bus.

The Land Launch mission is the first commercial Zenit launch since Sea Launch filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in June. Intelsat received permission from a Delaware bankruptcy court to bypass Sea Launch and make payments directly to Moscow-based Space International Services Ltd., Sea Launch's Russian partner in the Land Launch venture.

Intelsat plans to launch another satellite on Land Launch in 2011.

"Our relationship with Sea Launch is testament to our desire for maintaining a robust launcher industry, and today's mission marks the fourth success on their Land Launch system. I want to thank everyone who worked diligently to ensure a flawless mission for Intelsat 15. We look forward to our next Land Launch mission that is slated to carry our Intelsat 18 satellite into orbit in 2011," said Ken Lee, Intelsat's senior vice president of space systems.

Sea Launch has secured early financing to continue operations and plans to emerge from bankruptcy early next year. The ocean-based Zenit 3SL rocket could return to flight with a payload for Eutelsat by the end of 2010, according to company officials.

Intelsat 15 was the third satellite launched for Intelsat in the last month. An Ariane 5 rocket launched the Norwegian Thor 6 spacecraft Oct. 29 and an Atlas 5 launcher orbited the Intelsat 14 satellite Nov. 23.

HBO, Mei Ah To Launch Asian Movie Channel

From http://www.asiamediajournal.com/pressrelease.php?id=1422

Singapore - HBO Asia, a leader in home entertainment, and Mei Ah Entertainment Group (HKSE: 0391) today announced an exclusive agreement to launch a new Asian movie channel across Asia in 2010. This marks HBO Asia’s first foray into a dedicated channel with Asian content.

“We are very excited to be working with Mei Ah to launch HBO Asia’s first Asian movie channel,” said Jonathan Spink, Chief Executive Officer, HBO Asia. “The new channel will have a unique Asian feel, marrying HBO Asia’s renowned on-air presentation and extensive footprint in the region with exclusive access to Mei Ah’s rich library of Asian language movies and acquisition expertise.”

Founded in 1984, Mei Ah Entertainment is a leading Hong Kong-based producer and distributor of Chinese language movies with a content rich library of over 600 titles and operates TV channels with extensive reach.

“We are delighted to be joining hands with HBO Asia and we believe this announcement signals benefits for not only Mei Ah Entertainment, but also the Hong Kong film industry, allowing it to cater to a still wider audience in Asia,” said Mr. Li Kuo Hsing, founder and Chairman of Mei Ah Entertainment. “The announcement is a milestone for Mei Ah Entertainment’s TV business because with access to HBO’s extensive network in Asia, we will be able to take our TV business across the Asia Pacific region. We will continue to produce more Chinese-language movies and TV dramas and other Asian programmes to meet local and regional demands.”

This announcement comes on the heels of other significant milestones for both companies in recent weeks. HBO announced two major deals last month with the distribution of WarnerTV and BabyFirst channels handled exclusively by HBO Asia, while Mei Ah announced in November the distribution of MATV Movies Channel on the Sky Perfect TV System, the largest satellite pay TV platform in Japan.

HBO Asia’s bouquet of channels is currently available in 22 countries across Asia including Bangladesh, Brunei, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Macau, Maldives, Malaysia, Mongolia, Nepal, Pakistan, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, the Philippines, Vietnam, and on military bases in South Korea.

Funded by the Xi'an Branch of the Chinese Academy of Space Technology (CAST), the project will be created as a world-class hi-tech industrial park covering the design, R&D, systemic integration, and private industry development of satellite payload, after a three-year construction.

By virtue of the to-be-built project, China will directly transform to mass production from single production of the satellite payload systems, further strengthen the private space flight R&D, promote the technical progress of weather report, natural and environmental disaster warning, land and resources exploration, and navigation and orientation, as well as sharpen its competitive edge in the international aerospace field.

In particular, the country's demand for different satellite payload system for the ten years to come will be satisfied. The satellite payload refers to a kind of apparatus, equipment, or component system that can conduct the appointed satellitic mission directly.

From http://www.satellitetoday.com/st/headlines/Nagravision-Neotion-Sign-License-Agreement-to-Integrate-Market-CAM-Technology_32954.html

[Satellite TODAY 12-01-09] Nagravision, a Kudelski Group company, signed a global license agreement with Neotion, a French manufacturer of conditional access modules (CAM) to integrate, produce and market Neotion CAMs with Nagravision conditional access systems, Nagravision announced Nov. 30.
The CAMs produced by Neotion will integrate its NKE-1 V2 series processors, which will be certified by Nagravision to comply with its anti-piracy and security standards.
The companies cited strong growth trends in the European CAM market as the primary driver of the deal, and the units will be available to European markets in the first half of 2010. Nagravision said it is in discussions with other CAM manufacturers that have shown interest in integrating Nagravision’s CAS in their modules, particularly in emerging retail TV markets such as Spain.

Iraqi TV channel praising Saddam Hussein drops off satellite airwaves

From http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/nov/30/saddam-hussein-television-baghdad-iraq

The head of al-Lafeta TV, which aired the Saddam Channel, has denied that it is bankrolled by Ba'athists

A mysterious television channel praising Saddam Hussein dropped off satellite airwaves today, three days after it began broadcasting to Iraq. However, the chairman of the so-called Saddam Channel told the Associated Press it would return by the weekend after a technology upgrade to make the broadcast stronger.

In Iraq the website of a political coalition led by the prime minister, Nouri al-Maliki, jeered at what it predicted was the end of the TV channel, which began broadcasting on the Islamic calendar's anniversary of Saddam's 2006 execution.

"This Ba'athist channel said goodbye [within] days of its starting," said the statement on the website of the State of Law Coalition, which is led by Maliki, a Shia. "We salute our national government if it participated to close this channel."

The head of al-Lafeta TV, which aired the Saddam Channel, has denied that it is bankrolled by Ba'athists, the Sunni-dominated political party that Saddam once led. Muhammad Jarboua, an Algerian who claims to head the channel, said in a telephone interview from Syria that it was only temporarily halted.

"We're opting for a more advanced technology and we asked for the broadcast to be cut in the meantime for four days," Jarboua said today. He said the new technology would improve the channel's viewing quality.

Jarboua has denied that the channel is a Ba'ath party tool, but has gone to great lengths to hide the location of its studios and its funding sources.

The station, which broadcast still pictures of Saddam and his family set to his speeches and poems, went down one day after AP reported that it began broadcasting across the Arab world on Friday, the first day of Eid al-Adha for Sunni Arabs. The day – the most important holiday of the shifting Islamic calendar – also coincided with Saddam's execution by hanging in 2006.

SES Orders Four New Satellites From ASTRIUM

From http://www.spacemart.com/reports/SES_Orders_Four_New_Satellites_From_ASTRIUM_999.html

Global satellite operator SES and Astrium, a wholly-owned subsidiary of EADS have announced that SES has ordered four multi-mission satellites from Astrium to provide replacement as well as incremental capacity for its SES ASTRA and SES WORLD SKIES divisions.

The new satellites, to be designated ASTRA 2E, ASTRA 2F, ASTRA 2G and ASTRA 5B, will allow the release of the existing satellites at two orbital positions (28.2 and 31.5 degrees East) and add new capacity as well as fleet deployment flexibility for the SES group over the coming years.

The satellites are scheduled for launch in several steps between 2012 and 2014. The design life of each satellite is 15 years.

"This important investment in new satellite capacity will enhance the prominence of SES ASTRA's 28.2 degrees East position, mainly for the UK and Irish markets, and improve coverage of Eastern Europe from 31.5 degrees East," said Romain Bausch, President and CEO of SES.

"It will also allow SES WORLD SKIES to extend its offer to the African and Middle Eastern markets. By adding significant flexibility and improved functionality, these new satellites will allow SES to further drive its DTH, DTT, enterprise and broadband businesses while consolidating space assets and strengthening the international reach of the group. Also, we are pleased to be working again with Astrium. SES has appreciated the quality of their products and their customer dedication in recent and ongoing contracts, and this is exactly what we are looking for in this multi-satellite contract."

The four new satellites will be built on a Eurostar E3000 platform, the latest version of Astrium's Eurostar series which has proven to be highly reliable in commercial service. A total of 60 Eurostar satellites have been ordered to date. SES has already ordered three Eurostar E3000s: ASTRA 1M, which entered into service one year ago; ASTRA 3B, ready for launch early next year; and ASTRA 1N, which was ordered last year and is currently under construction.

"Astrium is extremely proud to have been selected by the world's premier satellite operator, and I would like to profoundly thank SES for their confidence. Following a rigorous selection process among the world's leading satellite manufacturers, Astrium demonstrated that it offered the best solutions for SES. The decision to order four satellites in a single contract increases Astrium's long-term standing as a market leader in satellite production. I would also like to express my gratitude to the teams on both sides of the table for their outstanding professionalism, which ultimately made it possible to sign one of the biggest contracts for telecommunications satellites in the world," said Astrium CEO François Auque.

Three of the new spacecraft, ASTRA 2E, ASTRA 2F and ASTRA 2G, will serve to deliver next generation broadcast, VSAT and broadband services in Europe and Africa, and will carry Ku-and Ka-band payloads at 28.2 degrees East.

The Ku-band capacity will allow SES ASTRA to enhance and secure its existing offering to major Direct-to-Home (DTH) markets in the UK and Ireland. With a Ku-band payload specifically designed to meet the requirements of some of Europe's largest DTH broadcasters, the satellites will have spot beam and pan-European beam switching capabilities to accommodate both pay-TV and free-to-air broadcasters, and to provide these customers with increased functionality.

ASTRA 2E, ASTRA 2F and ASTRA 2G will also include replacement and new capacity for the SES WORLD SKIES division, serving the African and the Middle Eastern markets with Ku-and Ka-band capacity. The new capacity will provide continuity of service and expansion opportunities for customers that are today already using the ASTRA 2B steerable beam over West Africa, as well as for new customers

ASTRA 5B will be deployed at the orbital position 31.5 degrees East, extending SES ASTRA's transponder capacity and geographical reach over Eastern European and neighboring markets for DTH, Direct-to-Cable (DTC) and contribution feeds to Digital Terrestrial Television (DTT) networks.

SES' orbital position 28.2 degrees East is currently served by the ASTRA 2A, 2B and 2D spacecraft. The 31.5 degrees East position is currently served by ASTRA 2C.